Neverending Road
by peridotdream
Summary: Sequel to Inner Turmoil ...Draco and Ginny have managed to evade their past for twelve years, but it still haunts them. They're unsure of their future, but want to do what's best for their kids, and that means returning to the Wizarding World...
1. Prologue, After All

ack! hi guys! This is the not-so-long awaited sequel to Inner Turmiol, I really hope you like it! This prologue is super-long, I know. Not everything'll be this long, it's just that...this sets up a lot, you meet some nifty newcomers. I hope I did them well, tell me if you like 'em. The first chapter is about the same length, but again - a lot happens. So we'll see. I hope you like! and I hope you stay! here goes nothin...

also, I'm really, really, really, thankful that so many of you have been awaiting this...I was pretty hesitant about posting/writing it, because it's **going to be different than Inner Turmoil** (conflicting/angsty teenagers are much more interesting to read and write about than conflicted adults...it's just...they're crazier.) PLEASE REVIEW!

oh, and since I don't have too much written, updates won't be as frequent as they were for Inner Turmoil (when I had, like everything done). Thanks for understanding, lol : )

bela

* * *

**Neverending Road**

**_Prologue - After All_**

_"I'm off on a rocketship, prepared for something new.  
I'm off on a rocketship, ecstatic with the view.  
I am scared of the things upcoming,  
and I want for the things I don't have,  
Cannot stand to be one of many - I'm not what they are..." -'Rocketship', Guster_

Tired and hungry, Ginny followed Draco into a small diner. They each had a small bag slung on their shoulders, enough for a few essential items. She didn't know where in America they were, except by the ocean. Wherever they were, it was nice. It was a small town, but it was quite crowded. She felt like, even through their odd clothing, they blended in. Two people in a sea of strangers. No one gave them a second glance, or knew who a Malfoy was on sight, or a Weasley for that matter. She liked the obscurity of it all, but her heart ached for home. She reminded herself of the situation and her decision, and tried to forget about it all for awhile.

She looked around the cozy diner and noticed the casual nature of it all. The chairs mismatched, and people were scattered at random tables, mostly with papers and a cup of somethng to drink. It was early afternoon, but they hadn't eaten all day - Draco had very little Muggle money left after they took a plane and a few trains and buses to get to wherever it was that they were.

He led her to a small table in a corner by a door, which Ginny assumed led to the kitchen. She fell into her chair and looked sadly at the floor. She couldn't stop thinking about her family, imagining her brothers' faces, her mother's reaction...

"Hey," Draco said softly. "What do you want?" She just shook her head. "Red, you haven't eaten in almost two days..." They'd been gone for three now, and they'd barely slept. She shrugged her shoulders and kept her gaze firmly on the floor.

"Hey there, what can I getcha?" a chirpy voice said. Ginny looked up to see a woman with dark brown hair and a pencil behind her ear smiling down at her. It almost made her cry that, when Ginny's whole world was changing, practically crumbling and rebuilding itself, someone could look so secure and happy.

"We'll just have...two glasses of water. And a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup for me."

"Soup? In June?" The woman asked, confused. Draco just glared at her.

"Yes. Soup." He said shortly.

"Ok...anything for you to eat?" She asked Ginny softly. "You look awful." She said sympathetically.

"She's fine." Draco snapped. "She doesn't want to eat." The woman gave Draco a challenging look, which he returned with a glare.

"Thanks, but. I didn't ask you." And she turned her back on him, as much as she could and still be facing Ginny. "You sure you don't want anything to eat?" Ginny looked down at her hands and nodded. The woman seemed to hesitate for a minute. "Alright, well. I'm Mia and if you need anything, just call my name - I'll be around." She said as she walked off.

"She's annoying is what she is..." Draco muttered. Ginny almost smirked as she looked at him. He thought everyone was annoying - including her. That's just part of who Draco was.

A few minutes later Mia came back with two glasses of water, a bowl of piping hot soup, and a plate.

"Fries. On the house." She said, "You've gotta eat something, you look like you haven't eaten in days." Draco shot an _'I told you so'_ look at Ginny, who actually did smirk this time. She couldn't help it.

"Thanks," she said quietly, reaching for a fry. Mia smiled warmly as Draco looked at her surprised. She smiled at him - she hadn't even spoken _that _much since they left Hogwarts.

Mia lingered for a second as she began to eat, and Draco took a sip of his soup. He promptly spit it out, all over Ginny.

"_Draco!_" She cried.

"What is this!" He cried, glaring at Mia.

"What the hell!" Ginny kept going, grabbing for a few napkins that were on the table to clean herself off. Mia looked affronted,

"What do you mean 'what is this'?"

"It's certainly not soup."

"Of course it is," she said, looking at him as if he were crazy.

"Draco, just eat it." Ginny urged quietly.

"A monkey makes better soup than this!" Ginny blushed at his outburst. It's not like they had enough money to go out and buy anything of value, they had less than twenty dollars left.

"Well, you can call Campbell's and tell them that, but until you make your own, that's what I've got." Mia commented sarcastically.

"Campbell's?" Draco questioned.

"Yeah - it's from a can." Mia said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why? Would you _like_ to make your own? Kitchen's right over there." She spat as she nodded toward the door next to them.

"Frankly? Yes. I would. I'm starving." Ginny was still blushing, and picking at the fries Mia'd given them, trying to ignore Draco's outburst. She couldn't understand why bad soup was such a big deal. She knew he'd been rich, and everything had been at his fingertips, but that wasn't the case anymore. That, and _it was just soup!_

"Fine!" Mia snapped. "Follow me!" Ginny nearly let her head hit the table as Draco and Mia glared at each other.

"Draco, stop it." She urged quietly. This was utterly absurd. They were in an unfamiliar place, running away from everything and he had the nerve to argue with people?

"Red, I'm starved, and all I want is some soup. If she's not going to make it, I will." He said quickly to her before turning to Mia. "And I'm not going to pay for it if I make it."

"If you're making more than one bowl, that's fine. I'll just sell the rest." She shrugged, still obviously very unhappy with Draco. Ginny buried her face in her hands, shaking her head.

"You are such a prat sometimes..." Ginny said, so that he - and anyone else who happened to be listening - could hear. Mia watched them closely, it seemed like she was assessing the situation. Draco scowled at her, and Mia led him off. Ginny sighed and took a sip of her water. She grabbed another fry before she heard the door slam open.

"How do you not have any _carrots_? What kind of place is this!" Draco cried. Mia was mad at him, but Ginny was actually trying to choke back some laughter. This whole situation was utterly absurd, and she didn't know why Draco wanted the Chicken Noodle Soup so badly.

"This is a diner, carrots aren't exactly popular. Here. Here's five dollars. Go buy your precious carrots." Mia spat as she shoved a five dollar bill into his hands.

"Do I _look_ like I'm from around here?" He spat back.

"The market's down the street, it'd be impossible for you to get lost." Mia shot, glaring at Draco. He looked at Ginny, who was still eating, and stormed out.

"What?" She said after the door slammed shut. "Where'd he go?" She panicked - he hadn't left her side in the three days they'd been gone. She stood up to run after him.

"Hey," Mia said, catching her arm. "He'll be back." Ginny gave her a scared look, but Mia reciprocated with a comforting pat on her arm. Ginny sat back down and held onto her glass of water for dear life. Mia watched her, and sat across from her, where Draco had been.

"You know," she began, "You grip that glass any tighter it might shatter." Ginny blushed.

"Sorry..." she said quietly, reaching for another fry and reluctantly letting go of the glass.

"It's ok, I've got others." She said with a smile. She looked at Ginny appraisingly. "So what's Holden Caulfield over there got over you?"

"Who?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Holden Caulfield - that guy. What's he got on you?"

"You mean Draco?"

"Sure, if that's his name."

"Why'd you call him Holden...?"

"Haven't you ever read _The Catcher in the Rye_?" Ginny shook her head. "Oh. Well he's just a character. Bit of a jerk, if you ask me. Pushes the limits, arrogant, superior, ran away from school..." Ginny froze. Mia noticed, but seemed to let it slide. "So what's he got over you?"

"I don't know what you mean..." Ginny said quietly.

"Alright, if you say so. But if he's...you know...hurting you..." Ginny looked up, almost alarmed.

"What? No, of course not. Draco would never..."

"Alright, alright. I just had a friend once. Acted like you are now, that's all." Mia said, backing down. "So what brings you to New Jersey?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Is that where we are?"

"Did you miss the huge 'Welcome to New Jersey' signs hanging all over everywhere?" Mia asked, amused. Ginny smiled,

"I guess we did."

"Alright then, yes. Welcome to New Jersey." She said with a cheeky smile. Ginny smiled again,

"Thanks,"

"So where are you from? Not America, I can tell that much."

"Doesn't matter...We can't go back." Ginny's face fell and she looked down.

"Hakuna Matata!" Mia cried with a smile. "What a _wonderful_ phrase!" Ginny looked at her like she was crazy. "Sorry, my kid's on a bit of a Disney kick." She smiled and laughed. When Ginny's look didn't change, Mia looked at her in disbelief, "Oh, come on. You can't tell me you didn't do that on purpose."

"Do what?"

"Refrenced _The Lion King_."

"The what?" Mia just shook her head.

"I guess you _didn't_ do that on purpose." she muttered. "Well, you're welcome here in Jersey. Except it might be difficult finding a place to stay before September - shoobies and all."

"Shoobies?"

"Yeah...nevermind." Ginny nodded. So they were welcome to stay, that was a nice thought. Ginny reached out and ate the last fry off the plate.

Mia stood up and walked back into the kitchen, carrying the empty plate off with her. She came back a few minutes later with a full one, to meet Draco as he walked in.

"What took you so long, Holden?" She asked.

"What?" he asked confused.

"She calls you Holden." Ginny clarified with a smirk. Draco looked at her in surprise, half because she knew what was going on, half because she was talking.

"Yeah, well...I got lost."

"On the way to the market?" Mia asked amusedly. Draco glared at her. "Right, right." she said, backing down. "Fine, I'll show you where everything else is, and you can get started on your precious soup." Draco followed her into the kitchen, and she emerged a few minutes later, muttering to herself about something. Ginny smirked, Draco could have that effect on people.

"Jeez, you'd think he'd never seen a stove before." She said as she sat back down across from Ginny.

"He probably hasn't." She said matter-of-factly, "I mean, where we come from, he's really rich. They had...servants and stuff." She said uncomfortably, trying to find a good substitute word for 'house elves'. Mia looked at her like she was crazy,

"Are you kidding?" Ginny smirked and shook her head.

"That boy hasn't worked a day in his life."

"So why'd you leave?" Ginny's face fell, and the color drained. "Sorry," Mia said quickly, "That was probably over the line." Ginny took a deep breath and started eating more fries. "Jeez, you really do look like you haven't eaten in days."

"I haven't." Ginny said quietly.

"What? Well why didn't you say so? That's a horse of a different color!" Mia cried, standing up. She grinned down at Ginny, as if she'd just made a really funny joke, but Ginny didn't get it.

"Huh?"

"You _can't_ tell me you've never seen _The Wizard of Oz_." She said in disbelief. Ginny just shrugged and shook her head.

"Oh my goodness...you poor, culturally deprived thing. Don't they have culture back where you come from? Movies? Books? Music? _ANYthing_?"

"Well, sure, but...we come from a pretty...secluded place...we just have different stuff."

"But _The Wizard of Oz_ is a _classic_!" Ginny shrugged and Mia just smiled. "Whatever. What do you want to eat?" Ginny looked up at her,

"These are more than enough, thank you..." she said quietly.

"Oh, come on. I'm a mother, and I would never let my son eat just french fries for lunch. Cheeseburger? Sandwich? Eggs? Breakfast food? Chicken Fingers? What?" Ginny shrugged,

"We don't have much money, really..." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, well. I like you. I don't know why, but I'm a good judge of character, and I like you. Holden, back there, though, is gonna hafta make some darn good soup for me to sell..." Ginny smirked.

"Whatever you can spare, I'd be grateful for." She said, looking down at her hands.

"Cheeseburger it is." Mia said with a nod, disappearing back into the kitchen. Ginny smiled, and sat there alone. She looked out the window, watching all the people walk by. Groups of teenagers, families, people of all shapes and sizes, walking by like everything in the world was perfect - this was a great place. And Mia...Mia was being so nice. She was odd, but she was nice.

Draco wandered briskly out of the kitchen and sat back down, scowling.

"She's impossible." He muttered. Ginny couldn't stifle her giggle. "She is!" He defended himself.

"She's only being stubborn because you are." Ginny said knowingly. "You have that effect on people."

"I do not." Draco said, looking affronted. Ginny smirked again,

"You do." She said, nodding. She took a deep breath and looked at him longingly. He softened and smiled back at her. "I like it here, Draco." She said softly. "We're in New Jersey, did you know that?" He shook his head,

"No, I missed it. But you like it?" She nodded slowly, trying to read him for a response. He looked a bit uncomfortable as he surveyed his surroundings, and looked outside. You could almost see the ocean through the window, it was about five blocks away. "I suppose we have to stop sometime." He said quietly, still staring outside.

"Draco...we're away now, we don't have to run anymore. We're _free_." She said softly, but firmly.

"Freedom's just another word for 'nothin left to lose'." A confident voice interrupted. Mia walked over to them with a cheeseburger on a plate, and placed it in front of Ginny, who looked at it hungrily.

"Thank you," Ginny said grabbing the sandwich.

"What did you say?" Draco asked, confused. Mia looked at him,

"Janis Joplin." She said, seemingly trying to fathom the pair's lack of knowledge.

"What is she talking about?" Draco asked Ginny. She shrugged,

"She's been doing that quite a lot this afternoon."

"I said, 'Freedom's just another word for 'nothin left to lose'. It's from a song...by Janis Joplin." She said slowly, as if talking to a child. She eventually gave up and shook her head, disappointed. Ginny giggled,

"C'mon, give us a break," she said playfully, "we've had a hard few days."

"You two should stick around here, you have a lot to learn." Mia said matter-of-factly. Ginny looked hopefully at Draco,

"Can we?" She asked softly. Draco shifted uncomfortably,

"I suppose." Ginny smiled genuinely at him, and he softened. "Sure." He stood up and went back into the kitchen. Mia sat back down in his seat.

"So where are you gonna stay?" She asked. Ginny shrugged,

"I dunno...I guess we'll just...figure something out."

"There are some cheap hotels a few miles away." Mia suggested. Ginny nodded,

"Yeah...thanks..." Just then, a boy of about six bounded in.

"Mom! **Mmmoooommmm!** _SCHOOL'S OVER!_" He yelled to the whole diner. Everyone looked up from their papers and food and smiled. Choruses of

"Hey, Mike!"

"Hey, bud!"

"Congrats, Mike!" Rang out through the place as the boy beamed at the customers.

"Hey, buddy! Over here!" Mia called to the boy. He practically skipped to where they were and beamed at her, then noticed Ginny and moved closer to her. "So, school's out?" Mike looked up at her and nodded, a grin crossing his face again. "Wow, you're done a whole year. I can hardly believe it!" He turned back to Ginny,

"Who's that, Mom?" he asked Mia. Ginny smiled warmly.

"My name's Ginny, what's yours?"

"Mike!" He said proudly.

"Hi, Mike." Ginny smiled. Draco waltzed out of the kitchen at that moment, to hear Mike greet Ginny with an enthusiastic 'hi'. He looked startled, with a bowl of soup in hand. He froze and stared at the situation. Ginny looked up at him and smiled.

"Holden," Mia began, "This is my son, Michael." Draco's expression soured at his new nickname, but then he smiled down at the little boy. Ginny was pretty sure that they were safe, considering the boy's mother was right there, and Draco wouldn't dare terrify a kid with his mother standing not two feet away.

Mia stood up and gave Draco his chair back, and went off to refill everyone's water and coffee. Draco sat down and started on his soup, and Mike pulled up a chair to watch them. Ginny giggled, but Draco gave him a shifty glance.

"Can I help you?" Draco drawled.

"Be nice..." Ginny warned, but neither boy seemed to hear her.

"What are you eating?" He asked curiously.

"Chicken Noodle Soup."

"In June?" Mike asked, and Ginny giggled.

"Yes," Draco said stiffly, "in June."

"Aren't you hot?"

"Not particularly."

"Oh." Mike said, "Can I have some?" Draco looked up, surprised, but nodded as he got up to get Mike a bowl of soup. Mike smiled happily as he turned to Ginny.

"Why do you two talk funny?" He asked with the same curious expression on his face. She smiled, his childhood innocence made her melt.

"We're not from around here."

"Oh...then where are you from?"

"England," she responded, but he didn't seem to know what that was, so she clarified a bit, "It's across the ocean."

"Wow," he said in amazement, "You've been across the ocean?" Ginny nodded and smiled. "So why are you here?" She smiled sadly at him,

"We had to leave there, so we decided to come here."

"Why'd you leave?" Ginny's heart broke as she looked at the little boy. His brown eyes were clouded with interest and curiosity, but how was she supposed to explain evil, death and destruction to a six year old?

"There were some...bad people back there...mean people...and we couldn't stay."

"Oh," he said sadly. "So you left home?" She nodded uncomfortably. "I'm sorry...that's really sad." He said matter-of-factly. Draco came back with a bowl of soup.

"Your Mum said it was alright, Michael, so I got you a whole bowl." He said, setting the bowl down in front of Mike.

"Thanks!" Mike said, as he dove into his soup, completely forgetting about the conversation. That made Ginny a bit more comfortable, she really didn't want to talk about it. "Wow! This is really good!" Mike exclaimed after a few sips. "What brand is it?"

"I made it, actually." Draco said proudly, but without the normal air of arrogance and superiority. Mike looked up at him in amazement.

"Really? You made it? Wow. It's really _really_ good." He said, matter-of-factly, before eating some more. Draco smiled down at him.

"Thanks," he said softly. Ginny stared at him as if seeing him for the first time, and when he noticed he just smirked.

"That's more like it." She said, feeling a bit better.

The afternoon faded, and Mike had more soup - he seemed to really like it. Draco sat back and watched the people pass by, and Ginny finally got up the courage to stand up and stretch her own legs. She walked around the small diner, and found Mia at the counter.

"So when does your shift end?" She asked conversationally. Mia snorted,

"It doesn't. It's just me here these days."

"Surely you can't run this place yourself," Ginny said in disbelief. Mia just nodded,

"Yeah. A few weeks ago...about a month and a half now, my friend Jackie...well...her, um...dad got sick, so she had to go back to California. Ever since then it's just been me and Michael here, all day every day." She said sadly.

"What about Mike's dad?" Mia's face fell,

"My husband died in a car accident about five years ago."

"I'm so sorry, if there's anything we can do..." Mia shook her head,

"No, it's alright. Really, you didn't know. And you don't have to worry about doing anything, me and Michael are ok."

"We could help...I mean, it's not like Draco and I have any place to go, or anything to do." The wheels in Ginny's head were turning, and she was fishing around inside her for a remnance of that Gryffindor courage she used to possess...they needed this. She and Draco needed something, and this could be it.

"No, you don't have to do that."

"What if we want to?" Ginny said with a bit more confidence. Mia looked over Ginny's shoulder as Ginny heard a squeal come from behind her. She turned around to see Draco and Mike talking animatedly, some of Mike's soup spilling out onto the table. Ginny smiled.

"If it's alright with you," she began slowly, "I mean...I really like it around here. I've never been here before. We need something to do, at least one of us needs a job so we can earn some money. We could help you and Mike out - you wouldn't have to worry so much about this place, you could spend more time with him. He's only this big once." She smiled hopefully.

"Well," Mia began reluctantly, "He does make a mean soup." Ginny giggled,

"I don't even know where that came from, I swear." She said seriously. Mia smiled.

"Alright, fine. You got me." Ginny grinned and turned around,

"Hey Draco! Come here for a second." she called. Draco looked up and walked over to where the two girls were.

"Do you wanna work here?" Mia asked him directly. Draco couldn't hide his surprise as Mike came up beside him.

"Yeah! That would be _so cool!_" Mike exclaimed, jumping up and down. Ginny laughed at his antics, as he began to pull on Draco's sleeve. "C'moooonn, stay! You make the best soup _ever_!" Draco smirked down at the little boy before turning to Ginny.

"This is your doing, isn't it?" He drawled. She shrugged,

"It might be." He smirked and turned back to Mia. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and Ginny saw it. He took a deep breath and looked around, it seemed like he was trying to decide something and wasn't happy about it. "Draco Malfoy," Ginny interjected seriously, "you will _not_ let your _stupid_ pride get in the way. Not this time." Draco looked at her, surprised, but smirked nonetheless. Mia looked confused, and Mike was still tugging at Draco's sleeve.

"Fine. If you'll have me," he said casually, in response to her question. She smirked and shook her head,

"It'll throw me into an early grave, but I happen to like Gin, here." Draco smirked,

"I have yet to meet someone who doesn't." He commented off-handedly. Ginny smiled and blushed, giggling a little bit.

"So what are you two up to now?" Ginny shrugged and Draco put his hands in his pockets, shifting uncomfortably. "I would give you the grand tour of the town, but I gotta stay here."

"We can stay, too," Ginny offered.

"Mooommm, I'm booorrredd." Mike whined. Draco smirked down at him. He did look very bored.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I don't know what else to do."

"Can I go upstairs and watch TV?" He asked, suddenly lighting up.

"Sure, if you want. You want to show Gin, here, _The Lion King_? She's never seen it." Mike turned to Ginny and gaped openly at her.

"You've never seen _The Lion King_?" He asked, and she giggled and nodded. "Oh boy. Well. I have to show you, it's the coolest. thing. _ever_. Simba's a lion, and he's the main character, and his dad dies --"

"Michael! Don't give away the whole movie!" Mia chided playfully. Ginny smiled,

"How 'bout you show me? And Draco can stay down here and get to know his way around."

"Have you seen_ The Lion King_?" Mike asked Draco, and Draco shook his head,

" 'fraid I haven't."

"Mom." Mike started seriously, "They have GOT to see _The Lion King_. Both of them." Mia laughed at her son and nodded,

"But I've gotta talk to Draco for a little while, ok, buddy?" He sighed dramatically and turned back to Draco.

"Fine. But you hafta see it soon, promise?" Draco chuckled at the little boy.

"Promise." He replied, ruffling the boy's hair. Mike dragged Ginny upstairs, where he showed her their little office and sitting room with a TV. He then showed her the box of the movie, the TV, and how to work everything. Ginny sat up in the sitting room with Michael, watching _The Lion King_ until it was over. She was a bit afraid of leaving Mia and Draco in a room together without a mediator, but she knew that he knew that they needed this pretty badly, and Mia was being more than generous.

The night came to a close early, so that Mia could close up and get Mike home and to bed, and Ginny and Draco walked out toward the ocean.

"So is she still impossible?" Ginny asked amusedly.

"Who? Mia?" Ginny nodded, linking her arm in Draco's as they walked along the beach. "Yes. But I suppose I can deal with that." Ginny giggled,

"Thank you," she said softly. He turned to her and kissed her forehead.

"Of course." They walked in silence along the shoreline, watching the waves roll in and out.

They stopped awhile later and sat on a sand dune. Draco pulled his invisibility cloak out of his bag and threw it around them. Ginny leaned in close to him and rested her head on his chest. She smiled as she let the sounds of the beach fill her head, washing away everything in the world. They laid back, and began to fall asleep. Just before she did, though, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"You know what, Draco?" she said softly, sleepily. He grunted in reply, and she echoed a feeling that, yesterday, she wasn't sure she'd ever have again..."I think we're gonna make it after all..."


	2. New Beginnings

: ) Thanks for the awesome reviews, I love you guys! So, welcome back to all of you who've read/reviewed Inner Turmoil, and welcome to all you newbies who haven't. It's cool, whatever. Ummm...Oh yeah, many, many more OC's in this chapter, as it's a flash-forward. Twelve years, to be precise...just so you're ready.

Tell me if/that you like the kids (I'm a little wary about introducing them, cause I really really want you guys to like them...and I'm not sure I explained them well enough...ah, well. there'll be another note at the end helping you out in that respect.)

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**Chapter One, New Beginnings**

_"Working hard to get my fill,  
everybody wants a thrill.  
Payin' anything to roll the dice,  
just one more time.  
Some will win, some will lose,  
Some were born to sing the blues.  
Oh, the movie never ends,  
It goes on, and on, and on, and on..." -'Don't Stop Believin', Journey_

"Mom! I'm home!" Ginny heard a familiar voice yell from the doorway of the diner. She looked up and saw Mike standing there, just like he always had. He'd grown so much over the last year. She ran over and gave him a hug, and he picked her up and spun her around.

_"Mike!"_ She squealed, "I can't believe you're back! We _missed_ you! Wow, so how was your freshman year at college? I can't believe it's already over. Here, have a seat, want a soda or something?" Mike chuckled good-naturedly,

"Naw, Gin. I'm cool. Where's Mom?" Ginny decided to ignore him and get him a glass of water anyway.

"Draco!" she called back into the kitchen, "Mike's home!" She wandered back to his barstool and sat next to him.

"Your Mom's at home, getting ready for your homecoming, didn't you see her?" Mike laughed out loud,

"No, actually, I came here first."

" Of course he did," Said a voice from behind them. Ginny turned around to see Draco smirking.Mike stood up and the two men embraced. "So how's college?" Draco asked, pulling up a chair.

"It wasgreat," Mike smiled, "But I'm glad to be home. Where's everyone else? I practically haven't seen Jules since she was born." Ginny smiled and looked inquiringly at Draco.

"Yeah, where are our daughters?" She said casually, poking his arm.

"Alright, alright. They're in the back playing, I'll go get them." He smiled and stood up. He gave Mike one last look-over. "It's good to have you back, mate." And he disappeared through a door that led to the kitchen.

A few seconds later a squealing flash of white flew out, and practically straight into Mike's leg.

"UNCLE MIKE!" The little girl cried.

"Hey there, you!" He said, picking up the little girl and sitting her on his knee. "How are you?" She grinned up at him as Draco came out with another little girl in his arms, this one only about a year old.

"I'm good." She said, still grinning. "Are you home for good this time?" She asked curiously. He chuckled.

"For the whole summer, chickadee." She squealed again and threw her arms around his neck. "Hey there, little one!" he said, sticking his hand out to the little girl in Draco's arms. She looked at it wearily and hid her face in her father's shoulder. "Aw, come on. Don't you remember your Uncle Mike?" Mike asked and Draco chuckled,

"Give her a few days to warm up to you, she's just feeling shy today."

"So, Izzy," Mike began, looking at the little girl on his lap. "It's been so long since I've seen you! How old are you now?" She giggled, as if he'd just made the funniest joke ever.

"_Uncle Mike!_ You _know_ I'm four! You were at my birthday party, 'member? I had a horsey!"

"Oh, that's right, that's right...I think I remember that..." Mike said, stroking his chin. Ginny grinned at the display, she'd missed Mike over the past year. She surveyed his condition and, like any Weasley woman, decided he was too thin. So she got up and started bustling around, gathering pastries and bagels on a plate.

"What're you doing?" Mike asked her, as Izzy tried to jump up onto his back.

"**Isabelle**," Draco said warningly, "be careful."

"I am, Daddy!" She said sincerely, still jumping up and down, practically smacking Mike in the head.

"You're too thin," Ginny interjected. "You've always been too thin. You've gotta eat. Although, I do have half a mind to send you home to your mother before she comes storming in here and realizes that you came to say hello to us before going home." Ginny smirked at the thought, it would drive Mia nuts, but it really was pretty funny that he hadn't thought to look at his own house...

"Cut the kid a break, Red," Draco smiled, "he's spent more time here over the yearsthan we have." Ginny grinned widely, bringing a large tray of simple foods to the small crowd. She went back to the counter and took a pot of coffee, refilling everyone's cups before returning to her family.

"So where's the rest of the gang?" Mike asked as he finally grabbed Izzy's waist and swung her up on his shoulders. She squealed in delight and held locks of his hair in her small fists.

"**Eat.**" Ginny commanded.

"What? _C'mon_, I'm just as big as he is!" Mike protested, pointing at Draco.

"Just because you two are unnaturally thin doesn't mean you shouldn't _eat_."

"We're not unnaturally thin," Mike protested, "We're just lean." Draco smirked at her and they all laughed.

"The rest of the gang should be getting out of school any time now. I swear, they had better wait for Alex..." Ginny said, looking out of the window for the rest of her children. Julia was squirming in her father's arms now, seemingly bored with the goings-on of the diner. Ginny smiled and reached for her youngest, taking her from Draco. "C'mere, baby," she cooed. Julia looked up, but still struggled against her mother's grasp. Ginny put her on her hip and bounced her up and down, talking to her about Mike and what was happening.

"How about I take these two out for a walk, and you two can either stay here and catch up, or - heaven forbid - Draco could get back to work and you could visit your mother." Ginny giggled, trying to keep ahold of a very unhappy Julia, who was beginning to whimper.

"Yes, dear," Draco sighed dramatically. They all laughed, and Mike dropped Izzy back onto the floor.

"Come on, Izzy, we're goin down to the beach." Izzy squealed and ran towards the door.

"Bye, Uncle Mike!"

"Later, Izzy," he smiled. The three girls walked out, leaving Draco and Mike to tend to the customers. Ginny walked her daughters down to the water's edge, marveling at the number of people who'd already come down for their summer vacations.

She let Julia down, and the two little girls shrieked as they splashed about. Ginny sat down beside them, not caring about getting her jeans wet. She thought about Mike, and how tall he'd grown. He'd gone off to college and come back almost a foot taller. It didn't look like he'd gained any weight, either. She smiled as she remembered the first time she heard him run into the diner, announcing school was over - he was six, and she'd just arrived in New Jersey. She couldn't believe that was twelve years ago, or the changes that had taken place since then. She was a mother now, a mother of five. She shook her head a giggled - five. She'd always wanted a lot of kids, but she'd never imagined herself in this life. She and Draco had been living as Muggles ever since they left England, and had succeeded admirably, in her opinion. He cooked for Harrison's diner, which Mia owned, and Ginny sort of...picked up loose ends. She was a waitress, hostess, busboy, anything Mia needed. Mia had been more than kind to them, and Ginny couldn't believe how far they'd all come...

She watched Izzy and Julia splash around, without a care in the worldand realized that by the time she got them dry, showered and cleaned up, it'd be dinnertime, so she called them back.

"We have to head back, girls," She said, going for Julia. Julia was not at all happy to be leaving the playful waves, and made sure her mother realized that.

"Aw, _Mooommm_, do we _haaave_ to?" Izzy whined.

"I'm sorry, Izzy, but don't you want to see Uncle Mike and Aunt Mia? We'll probably have a special dinner tonight because he's home." This seemed to focus Izzy's mind on the upcoming celebration, and she willingly followed her mother back to their house.

After much fuss, andmore splashed water, Izzy and Julia were clean. Ginny quickly changed, throwing her dirty clothes in the hamper, and took the girls back to the diner.

"There they are!" Mia exclaimed. Izzy's face brightened again, and she ran towards her aunt.

"Mommy took me and Julia to the beach, Aunt Mia!" She exclaimed as Mia picked her up in a hug.

"Oh really, and did you have fun?" Mia asked, giggling. Izzy nodded fervently, and started talking about how she'd played with her little sister, giving everyone who would listen to her a play-by-play action of what had taken place. Ginny looked around and noticed Damon and Emma, who were eleven, talking to their Uncle Mike off to the side. She didn't, however, see her younger son, Alex, or Draco anywhere. She left Julia with Mia and wandered off to find them.

She went into the kitchen first, and sure enough, they were in there. Draco was grilling something, and Alex was just sitting by, watching his dad with a sulky expression on his face.

Ginny walked up next to Draco and started talking in a low voice so Alex couldn't hear.

"Uh oh..." she began, "they didn't wait for him, did they?" Draco didn't take his eyes off the cheesburgers he was making, but tensed and shook his head.

"No, they didn't." He said stiffly. Ginny gave him a confused expression, but he didn't reply. She thought she might have better luck with her son. His hair might not have been as red as a Weasley's, but she couldn't help but think he looked exactly like Ron when he sulked...

"Hey," she said softly, squatting down so she was eye level with the sitting boy. "You ok?" He just folded his arms and stared straight ahead. He may have looked like Ron, but his attitude was all Draco today.

"It's not fair." He huffed, as he began to pout.

"**Alexander**," Draco said firmly, "Now is not the time." Now Ginny was really confused. "We'll talk about it after dinner, alright?" Ginny looked from Alex to Draco and back, trying to figure out what was going on. Damon and Emma had left Alex at school countless times over the year - they were fifth graders, and he was a first grader -she couldn't understand why today upset him so much. He usually sulked about it, and was fine ten minutes later. It had almost become a weekly ritual.

Ginny knew that the best thing to do with Draco when he got like this was to leave him alone for awhile, then come back later when he'd calmed down, so she figured she'd handle his son the same way. She left them alone and walked out of the kitchen.

"Anyone ready for dinner? Looks like Draco's almost done in there," Ginny chirped, looking at the reunion in front of her. Mia and Mike had pushed a few tables together so it was large enough for the Malfoy family, and Ginny sat down.

After a few minutes of chatting, Alex and Draco emerged from the kitchen with a few plates of food. Draco dropped one off at a nearby table before bringing the rest to their table.

The nine of them enjoyed the rest of their dinner animatedly, talking about Mike's first year in college, Alex's first year in elementary school, Damon and Emma's last year at elementary school, and Izzy's last year of preschool. It had been an eventful year.

As Draco started passing out dessert, Mike stood up and tapped on his plate of cake with his fork. The entire table stopped talking and looked up at him as he grinned.

"I'd like to make a toast," snickers were heard throughout the diner as he held his dessert plate high. "On my chocolate cake. It's been one he--"

"I'm sure you mean _'happy'_," Ginny said warningly. He nodded his head and tried to supress his laughter.

"Absolutely. It's been a happy year. A crazy and eventful year. A year to remember!"

"Get to the point!" Draco smirked.

"Alright, alright. 'Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end'. So here's to family, friends, and new beginnings!" Mike said, his fork finally diving into his chocolate cake as he took his seat. Everyone else, including all of the children except Julia, raised their forks to him, and said,

"Here, here!"

"That's my son!" Mia exclaimed, barely able to control her laughter. A few minutes later, Draco stood up and began to clear away plates and dirty dishes.

"Draco, what are you doing?" Ginny asked. "We barely just started dessert!"

"Red, we need to go home." He said seriously.

"What? But you told Mia you'd lock up tonight since Mike was coming home!"

"I know, but we need to talk." He said, all too tensely. Ginny smirked,

"What have I told you about that phrase?"

"Red, I'm serious." He stated. She looked up at him and shifted uncomfortably, he really was upset about something.

"Well, at least let Izzy finish her cake."

"She can finish it at home." He said, moving away to get a few boxes.

"What's going on?" Mia asked from across the table. Ginny looked at her with a confused expression.

"I'm not really sure..." She answered honestly. Draco came back with a few styrofoam boxes, and Ginny started packing up the leftover cake on her childrens' plates.

"Draco, what's going on?" Mia asked, sobering from the emotional high she was on. Ginny glanced from her best friend to her husband, unsure of what to do. She decided to start putting Julia's booster seat away.

"Come on, sweetie." She cooed as she picked Julia up and worked to clean up a little bit.

"Mia, something's come up." Draco said seriously. "Is there any way you can close up for me tonight?"

"_And we're sorry about this_." Ginny said through gritted teeth, more towards Draco than Mia.

"Yes, I'm really sorry about this." He said unhappily as he continued to clear things away. Ginny looked around at her family,

"Come on, kids, we have to go home now. Say goodbye to Uncle Mike and Aunt Mia." She expected a lot of moaning and groaning from all of them, but Damon's eyes widened as Alex sulked, Izzy was the only one who whined at all. Emma just sucked it up and said goodnight to her aunt and uncle. Ginny got even more confused, because Emma and Damon were incredibly headstrong kids, who both loved chocolate cake...

Draco ushered all six of them out and down the street. They walked the few blocks back to their house and went inside.

"Kids, go put on your pajamas and brush your teeth." Draco commanded. He took Julia from Ginny's arms and started to walk off towards the children's bedrooms.

"What!" Emma exclaimed, "But it's only..." she searched for a clock, and found one on the table a few feet away from her. _"6:30!"_ Draco whirled around to face his daughter.

"Emma," He said seriously, "Once you're in your nightgown you can come back to the living room and watch TV, but you _will do_ as you're told." They stared each other down, Ginny almost burst out laughing at how alike they were, until finally Emma stalked off to her bedroom. Damon followed her, surprisingly quiet, and the rest walked off.

Ginny was left, standing in the entrance to their house, confused and out of the loop. She wondered what possibly could have happened to make Draco so upset - the last time he'd acted like that was last year, when Alex had broken his arm playing soccer in the rain. She wandered into the kitchen and made a pot of tea, figuring that, even if it was June, it would calm everyone down just a little bit. She set up the DVD player in their large living room, and put _The Lion King_ in.

Soon enough, the kettle whistled and her kids started meandering into the living room. Ginny set out a small bowl of Chex Mix as a bedtime snack, and put a handful of juice boxes on the coffee table.

Once everyone was back and situated, she started the movie and sat down at the kitchen table with Draco. The kitchen was open, and led into the living room, so she could watch all five kids from her seat at the table. She poured two cups of tea and looked at him with questioning eyes. He looked up at her, and she noticed how harried and worn he looked, how old. He sighed and pulled a few pieces of battered paper out of his pocket and threw them onto the table with unnecessary nonchalance. It was almost as if he were hopeless...

Ginny began to get very worried about him, but figured whatever was bothering him had to do with these papers. There were three, and they were envelopes. On two were the names of each of the twins, 'Damon Lucas Malfoy,' and 'Emma Grace Malfoy' but the third was adressed to 'Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy'. Ginny's heart stopped as she turned the envelopes over to see the broken Hogwarts seals on all of them and she immediately dropped them and put her hands to her mouth.

"Oh my God..." she gasped. Her mind flew into a whirlwind - how did they know? How did they know where to send the letters, the names of the children...that Draco and Ginny were together? After a few moments, Ginny managed to squeak out one question.

"How could they possibly have known?" She whispered breathlessly. Her hands began to tremble and she couldn't pick up her cup of tea. Draco hadn't touched his yet, he was leaning back in his chair angrily. After she spoke, he rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"I don't know. Accidental magic...sometime over the years and were spotted. I don't know how _we_ missed it..." He shook his head and leaned forward, putting his face in his hands. "Red, I don't know what to do." He said honestly. "Read the one to us."

She opened the envelope addressed to them and saw very familiar writing - it almost made her cry.

_Dear Draco and Ginny,_

_It has been quite a long time, my old students. I know you are probably wondering how I knew where you were. You see, your children have had a few magical accidents over the years that were recorded at the Ministry of Magic in America. When investigated, and they found out who you were, I was alerted for specifically this reason._

_Although Damon and Emma have spaces at Salem Academy in Massachusettes, I have reserved them spaces here, at Hogwarts if you would like them to attend. There are many people who would like to hear from you again. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone anything, although I do believe Professor Weasley has her suspicions. You have been missed over the years, by all who knew you, myself included._

_If you do not wish your children to attend Hogwarts, that is entirely acceptable, but I urge you to not ignore their gifts. We would all love for you to return, but I can understand that you left for a reason. I mailed these letters a few months early so that you could have time to discuss it and come to a decision in your own time. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience or discomfort these letters may cause, and I hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Ginny must have read the letter ten times over before letting it flutter back onto the table. Her hands were still trembling and she couldn't find anything to say.

"Merlin..."she muttered. "What are we going to do? How could we not have...thought about this?" She said, beginning to get frantic about the situation.

"I was kind of hoping they were Squibs." Draco said bluntly. Under any other circumstances, Ginny would have giggled, but this situation was far from funny.

"Draco," she chided.

"What? That would make this all a lot easier." They slipped into silence as they stared at the three letters on the table, Ginny mulling over their options. There were three: ignore them, send the kids to Massachusettes, or...go back.

If they ignored them, that would be the end of it, but they'd be denying their kids a piece of themselves - a large piece. Ginny and Draco were both from well known pureblooded families, and their children deserved to know. If they sent them to Salem Academy, they'd find out about the war that was probably over by now, about the famous Harry Potter and his brave friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. And they'd know. They'd know that their mother's name was Weasley, and they'd connect the dots. But if they returned to England, to Hogwarts, they'd have to deal with everyone from their past, everything they left behind...

"Well, the way I see it," Ginny began, with more confidence than she had, "we can ignore them, send them to Massachusettes, or go back."

"Very astute observations." Draco sneered.

"Draco, stop it. Right now. I'm just as excited about this as you are --"

"I doubt it." Ginny was beginning to get inredibly angry, and she had to constantly remind herself that he was just as scared and unhappy as she was.

"Look, we need to discuss this rationally. We need to figure out...what to do." Ginny didn't know what to think, let alone what to do. Draco just huffed for a few minutes, and then sighed, defeated.

"I don't know what to do..." He began slowly, sounding hopeless, "if we send them to Massachusettes..."

"They'll find out about us."

"And if we send them to Hogwarts..."

"They'll find out about us."

"But if we just ignore the letters..."

"Draco, we have to tell them. They deserve to know, to be a part of this decision." She urged him to see logic and rationality, but part of her knew better than to introduce logic to an angry Malfoy. Of any age.

"No." He said firmly. "We'll decide what's best, and if that involves not telling them, then so be it."

"Drop this ridiculous attitude and act like a rational adult. We aren't Muggles, and we aren't teenagers anymore! We have more people to think about! They're eleven years old, for crying out loud, they're not infants!"

"They're too young to understand the circumstances. All they'll see is a world of magic versus a world without it, and as an idealistic eleven year old, which would you choose?" He spoke seriously, and they stared each other down. Ginny sighed and leaned back, looking out into the living room at her children.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and the sound of the TV made it's way to Ginny's ears. She watched the scene unfold, Rafiki chasing after Simba, then hitting him on the head.

_"What was that for?"_ Simba asked incredulously_.  
"It doesn't matter! It's in the past!"_ Rafiki exclaimed_.  
"Well, yeah, but it still hurts..."  
"Ah, yes. The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."_

Ginny may never have been able to idetify fate before as it was happening, but she knew that their pause in conversation at that exact scene was no accident. She looked back at Draco pointedly, and he just glared at the television.

He stood up and stormed out of the room, spilling some of his tea.

"Kids, bedtime." He barked as he turned off the movie. He ushered them all out, despite their protests about the movie not being over. "You all know how it ends, and you can watch it tomorrow at the diner." He finally got them all out of the room, and Ginny cleaned up their mess. She left the letters on the table as she went to read her children a few stories and kiss them goodnight.

When she got to her bed later on, Draco wasn't speaking. He wasn't just not speaking to her, he wasn't speaking at all. He had a piece of paper and a pen in hand, and he kept scribbling things down. She was too tired to ask, and she figured they both needed time to think this over, to mull it over individually before collabortaing and making a decision. So she left him to his own inner workings, and tried to fall asleep...

"Hey, Draco?" She said quietly, rolling over to face him. He looked at her with weary eyes, and raised his eyebrows in response. "I love you." She said quietly. He sighed and leaned in, kissing her forehead lightly.

"I love you, too, Red." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and she just watched him fall asleep.

Twelve years is a long time to be running from your past. Five kids is a lot to have hidden from the world. She didn't know what to do. Part of her just wanted to stay in New Jersey, at the diner, and let the kids go to Muggle schools, grow up and live as Muggles. It had worked for twelve years, she and Draco had made this place their home...She was trying to see the downside to that option...

* * *

: ) Alright, so did you like that? Did you catch all the little information? I sure hope so. 

Here's the info on the kids...

Damon and Emma are twins, age 11. Both look strikingly like Draco, with white-blond hair, but brown eyes. Alexander is next, age 7, and he's got strawberry blond hair, blue eyes. Next comes everyone's favorite ex-toddler, Isabelle (Izzy for short), age 4, with white-blond hair and blue eyes (I know a little girl, who I swear to GOD could be Draco Malfoy's daughter. She's hysterical, I'll try and find a picture of her to show you, but that's who Izzy's modeled after.) Then comes Julia, last but not least, at just a year old. She's got strawberry blond hair, like Alex, and brown eyes. Yaaaay. I know their birthdays, too, if you're curious, lol. November, July, March, and January. In case you were curious.

Well, leave a nice review!


	3. The Problem

**Chapter Two, The Problem**

_"You had a bad day,  
You're taking one down.  
You sing a sad song just to turn it around.  
You say you don't know,  
You tell me don't lie.  
You work at a smile and you go for a ride.  
You had a bad day,  
The camera don't lie,  
You're coming back down and you really don't mind.  
You had a bad day..." -'Bad Day', Daniel Powter_

Mia was scrubbing down the counters when Emma nonchalantly took her place on a bar stool. She smiled at the little girl. It was amazing how much like her father she was. Mia thought about how odd it was that an eleven year old girl could walk with such an air of nonchalance, such a casual nature - that's how Mia knew something was up. So she pulled a chair up behind the counter and sat across from the little girl, who had grown so much over the last year.

"May I help you?" Mia asked jokingly. Emma giggled and looked up at her with curious eyes.

"What's Hogwarts?" She asked casually. Mia looked at her with puzzled eyes - for a forty-something single mother who was supposed to know everthing, this one question threw her off a bit. "Is that where Mom and Dad came from?" Emma continued.

"Em, I'm sorry, babe, but I don't really know. All I know is that your Mom and Dad came from England."

"Why'd they leave?" Emma pressed, Mia shifted uncomfortably.

"Shouldn't you be asking them this?" She suggested, "I'm sure they know more about it than I do." --_'Which is nothing'_, Mia finished in her head.

"Aunt Mia, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, sweetie, what is it?"

"What are Squibs?" Mia looked at her goddaughter in confusion.

"Squibs?" She repeated, confused. Emma just nodded enthusiastically,

"And Muggles?" She added. Mia looked at her as if she were crazy - Emma had never been one to make up words, imaginary friends - she was always the down-to-earth twin. Damon was the one you needed to watch for idealism.

"Where did you hear those words, Emma?" Mia asked. Emma just looked up at her innocently.

"Me and Damon...were talking and he said them." She said seriously. Mia took notice of her pause, and put her hands on her hips.

"Were you eavesdropping again?" Emma's eybrows shot up and she put her hand in the air, as if swearing on something.

"No! I promise!" She said.

"And if I ask your parents...?" Mia began, looking at the little girl sternly.

"Ask her parents what?" Came a voice from behind them both. Emma's face dropped and froze in mute horror, as Mia turned around to see a very unhappy blonde man staring at her. Mia looked at Emma's expression, but it had been wiped from her face, replaced with a sweet smile.

"Nothing, Dad." She chirped, jumping down from the bar stool and running out of the diner. "I'm going to find Damon!" She called behind her. Mia looked from the little girl to her father and back again, confused as to what was going on. Then she heard the bells on the door jingle as Ginny walked in.

"I just passed Emma, she was running away, saying something about Damon..." Ginny said confusedly.

"Yeah," Mia answered, "She said she was going to find him." Ginny nodded in understanding, but when Mia looked back at Draco, he looked very...unhappy.

"Ask her parents what?" He demanded.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, coming up next to Mia. Mia sighed,

"She came in here asking about you two, and where you'd come from - mentioned something about...I dunno, I think she called it 'Hogwarts' or something." At that word, Ginny's eyes went wide and her face flushed. "Then she started asking about...I dunno, words I think she made up." Mia finished, shrugging.

"What words?" Draco demanded, obviously trying to control his temper. Ginny had moved next to him and was gripping his sleeve.

"Umm...'Squibs' and 'Muggles'." She said, and she may not have known what the two words meant, but her suspicions were confirmed - Emma had been eavesdropping. "I asked her if she'd been eavesdropping, and she said she hadn't."

"She lied." Draco said dryly, looking out the window in the direction the little girl had run off in.

"So she didn't make those words up?" Mia asked, now more confused than ever.

"Of course she did." Draco said stiffly.

"Draco..." Ginny chided softly. Mia gave him a dry look,

"_Now_ who's the liar?"

"She gets it from him, I swear." Ginny said before turning back to him. "We might as well tell her."

"No." Draco said firmly.

"You're being ridiculous!" Ginny cried. Mia decided it was best she not intrude on this...squabble of sorts, so she busied herself with refills for everyone. She took a few orders, filled a few cups, and then saw Ginny setting up teacups at their table towards the back. There were three cups, so Mia just assumed she was invited.

"So what's going on?" She asked Ginny quietly as she sat down. Ginny looked tired, like she hadn't slept all night. "Gin, what happened?"

"Let's just...wait for Draco to get back..." They waited for a few minutes, but Draco didn't show up. "Prat." Ginny muttered, before turning to Mia.

"Are you alright?" Mia asked seriously.

"I suppose so...the kids...got their letters yesterday. From the same school Draco and I went to."

"I still think this is a bad idea." Came Draco's voice from the door to the kitchen, as he practically dropped the plate of breakfast foods on the table and sat down grumpily.

"Draco!" Ginny cried, "This is Mia for Pete's sake! She can help!"

"She doesn't understand!" He shot back. Mia just watched them go back and forth - she'd become accustomed to their bickering, but there was something deeper this time - a deeper level of bitterness and fear that just tensed up the atmosphere, making her feel like she didn't belong.

"She _can_ understand, though, Draco. Come on! You still have your wand, just modify her memory if it doesn't work!" Ginny hissed under her breath. Mia couldn't help but chuckle, which earned her a glare from Draco, who propmtly turned back.

"Yeah. I haven't used it in twelve years, and the first thing you want me to do is modify her memory? That's a brilliant idea, Red, really. Have the Nobel people heard about you?" He sneered angrily.

"Alright, knock it off, the both of you." Mia said firmly, realizing that they needed a mediator. "What's going on here?" Both Draco and Ginny just sighed sadly, and stared into their now full cups of tea.

"Like I said," Ginny began softly, "Damon and Emma got their letters yesterday. For school."

"But don't you have to apply to get accepted into a boarding school?" Mia asked. Draco glowered, but Ginny just stirred her tea.

"Not...not this one..."

"I don't understand why this is such a big deal. If you don't want them to go there, then don't send them there. The middle schools here aren't too bad - look at Mike." Ginny put her head in her hands, and rubbed her forehead.

"That's where 'Muggles' comes in." She said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Mia was still convinced it was a made up word, but hearing Ginny use it made it seem...more real.

"Muggles are nonmagical people." Ginny said seriously, looking at her friend for a reaction. She got one out of her husband, though, who stood up and angrily pushed open the door to the kitchen. "You can be mad about it all you want, Draco Malfoy, but we need her help!" Ginny yelled just as angrily. Mia would have laughed if they weren't both so upset about this. Not even when Julia was born a month prematurely did they both seem so hopeless.

"Nonmagical people?" Mia asked confusedly, trying not to smile.

"Witches and wizards and magic...it's all real, Mia." Ginny said seriously. Mia couldn't help but laugh a little when Ginny said that, it was just too...ridiculous.

"Yeah right," she giggled. When she looked at Ginny, though, she saw sincere and sad eyes. When she finally sobered up and realized Ginny wasn't kidding, she continued. "Like, Glinda and Merlin sorts of witches and wizards?" Ginny smiled at the references.

"Actually...Merlin was real," she said, unsure of what else to do. Mia just looked at her like she was crazy.

"Right...and so Emma's a witch, and Damon's a wizard? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Mia said with a smile.

"Stop acting like this is so ridiculous." Draco snapped, causing both girls to realize he was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He strode back over to the table and sat down, staring Mia in the face. "If you don't want to believe us, that's fine, I don't care --"

"Knock it off." Mia spat seriously. She hated when Draco got on his self-righteous tirades. Turning bak to Ginny, she continued. "I still don't understand what's going on."

"Draco and I...we are from England, but...we're, well...from very well-known families." Draco sneered at her, "You stop it!" Ginny spat. "Stop it _now_! Just because you're a stupid _Malfoy_...that doesn't mean anything here! _Nothing!_ Stop acting like your stupid father!" She yelled at him. Draco's eyes flashed furiously, and that was it. He stormed out of the diner, knocking his chair over as he stood up. As Ginny watched him, a tear rolled down her cheek. "God, he is such a_prat_ sometimes!" She said, wiping the tear away. Mia was beyond confused at this point.

It took a few minutes, and a handful of deep breaths for Ginny to speak again. Mia was beginning to get really worried about her. She'd never seen Ginny act so...not in control. It was almost scary. Ginny was one of the most collected people Mia knew, even if she did lose her head sometimes, she never cried like this.

"He can be such a stupid prat..." She spat viciously.

"Hey, calm down now," Mia finally felt her interjections would be appropriate, and she did her best to quell the situation. "I don't understand..." Ginny took a deep breath and glared at her cup of tea.

After an hour of back and forth questions and answers, Mia finally understood, even almost believed Ginny. She knew that Ginny wouldn't lie about this, mostly because of Ginny's attitude and Draco's anger. He was starting to act like Holden again - the guy she'd met that day, twelve years ago, who'd thrown a hissy fit about Chicken Noodle Soup.

So now that she finally understood about the War, magical people, wizarding schools and an entire hidden world, she had to figure out what the problem was.

"So what's the problem?" she asked. Ginny sighed heavily.

"The problem is, twelve years ago, Draco and I disappeared. No one knew we were together...hell, no one knew we could even tolerate one another. No real goodbyes, and no way of finding us. We left our families, our homes, our entire world behind --"

"What made you do it?" Mia asked curiously. Ginny looked sadly out the window, as if she were trying not to look at Mia on purpose.

"It was...we were so young. So many people were dying...and he...I..." Ginny sighed and looked down at the table. "You remember how I told you my hair was naturally this way?" Ginny asked softly, twirling a long strand of white between her fingers. Mia nodded. "It's not."

"What?"

"My hair was never white. Not before that spring." Ginny said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't get it." Mia said honestly.

"There's a spell that tortures people..."

"You were...tortured?" Mia gasped softly.

"I was stupid, is what I was." Ginny stated matter-of-factly. "Anyway, that's how that came to be, and it caused a huge row between me and Draco, and then he disappeared..."

"Where'd he go?" Mia asked, almost on the edge of her seat.

"I don't know...he never told me. But he disappeared, and then when he came back he broke up with me...and then one day...he just...asked me to leave with him. The killing, the fighting, the...everything was just too much. So I did." Ginny paused and looked at Mia's enthralled face, and Mia tried to wrap her mind around all the new information she was getting. "So you see," Ginny continued, "Why it's a bit difficult for us to...go back there."

"Well, surely the War's over."

"Oh, it's got to be. It's just that...we left everything. We haven't been in contact with anyone in twelve years...I don't even think anyone knows we're _together_." Ginny emphasized.

"How could they not know you two are together?" Mia asked amusedly. She'd always found Ginny and Draco to be an oddly perfect couple. They had their fights, arguements, disagreements, but there was something about them that just fit. And it was almost painfully obvious.

"You don't understand," Ginny said seriously, "his father tried to _kill_ me. Our families have been rivals since _before I was born_. He was rich and I was poor, he was a Slytherin and I was a Gryffindor, he was a Seeker and I was a Chaser - we had less than _nothing_ in common." Mia decided to let the words she didn't know slide, she was too perplexed by the fact that apparently she was the first person in the world to find out about their relationship.

"That's so Romeo and Juliet," Mia sighed. Forbidden romance, lost love, dangerous undertakings to be with your true love...

The two women sat in silence for a few minutes.

"We could send them to school in Massachusettes, but...well, they'd hear about the War, and about...our families. My family. And...well, people would find out about them..." Ginny's voice was wavering, she apparently didn't realize what was obvious to Mia.

"Well you know what you have to do, right?" Mia prodded.

"No, Mia," Ginny huffed, almost angrily, "What do we have to do?"

"You have to go back." She said softly. Ginny visibly deflated and sunk back into her seat.

"I was afraid you'd say that." They sat there for a few more minutes before Mia heard someone else call her name, and she had to get up to go hand out refills and take more orders. As she stood up, she looked down at her friend.

"Gin, it'll be ok." Mia said softly. "I can't imagine what you're going through, or what they're going through, but Damon and Emma deserve this."

"I know, I know..." Ginny muttered.

"Just ease your mind, have a banana or two." Mia quoted with a cheeky smile.

"You know, I've known you for over a decade, and I _still _don't know what you're on about..." Ginny said confusedly. Mia just smiled and wandered off to help the other customers.

Ginny left a little while later, and Mia stuck around. She was trying to wrap her head around all the information she'd gotten, everything Ginny had told her.

It was ridiculous, is what it was. Utterly absurd. So then why was Gin so scared? Why was Draco so angry? They both had a tendency towards some sort of passionate response - anger, love, happiness - neither of them were indifferent people. But they were so scared under it all, it was difficult to grasp.

Draco came in a few hours later looking defeated. Mia had seen Draco look a lot of different ways, but 'defeated' was not ever one of them. It was a disconcerting experience...seeing him look like that. So Mia decided she should talk to him. Michael was probably still out with his old high school friends, or at Gin's, so she might as well not go home. That, and trusting customers to an angry Draco was like giving a snake a mouse and saying 'here, make friends and be happy'.

"So when are you guys going back?" Mia asked quietly. Draco's shoulders slumped.

"I don't know." He muttered.

"But you are going back?" She pushed.

"Look, Mia," he spat, looking at her viciously, "I really don't want to talk about this right now. It's a bad time and a bad subject. Drop it." She stood up straighter, and didn't back down.

"Damon and Emma deserve--"

"_You_." He started seriously, glaring at her in a way he'd never done before. She gulped and almost cowered. "Do not _understand_ what you're _talking_ about. _Red_. Does not _understand_ what she's _talking_ about. _The kids_. Do not._ Understand_. This is something I need to figure out." Mia got confused - surely Ginny understood the gravity of the situation.

"They at least deserve to know." Mia said quietly, scared of the murderous look in Draco's eyes.

"You don't get it, do you." He said nonchalantly, but seriously. "You don't understand what was happening back then, back there. I almost killed the Headmaster of the school, Mia, that was my job. To murder him." Mia could feel the color drain from her face as she gasped quietly. Draco just shook his head. "I didn't, but I was supposed to. Times were dark, times have changed, it's all well and good now," he said mockingly, "but old wounds don't always heal that easily. You can't. Understand. Where I'm coming from." Mia took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. She wanted to say something, try and lighten the situation, but she didn't know what.

So she let him be. Ginny would bring him around, and if she couldn't...well, then it would be a hard summer, and an even harder fall for all of them.

After a few hours, Mia decided she'd close up. She entered the kitchen warily and approached Draco.

"You know I just want what's best for all of you, right?" She asked cautiously, hoping that he wouldn't blow up at her again. He sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"I know. And thank you." He turned to face her, and she saw the same defeated look she'd seen when he came, "You've been more than generous to us over the years,"

"It's the least I can do," Mia interjected. She knew she hadn't had to take Draco and Ginny in, but Gin had looked so scared and frail. Mia knew now that that wasn't like her at all, which made her all the more glad she'd gotten to know her that day. Draco just shook his head,

"It was too much, but it all worked out in the end --"

"All's well that ends well," she interrupted. He smiled tiredly and shook his head. She couldn't help it. She just couldn't - so she moved a few feet closer and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, and she just held on for a moment. She may be middle-aged, but she knew when someone needed a hug. When she pulled back, she looked him in the eye.

"You know what they say - Everything's ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end."


	4. Something

ack! hi guys! YAY for all the reviews Ive been getting, I hope you're still happy with the story, lol. ANYWAY

I just wanted to mention that all the things I (read: Mia or Mike) quote I DO NOT OWN. And I made a mistake. Althought Janis Joplin DID do a cover of 'Me and Bobby Magee', it was just that - a cover. Sorry. Other than that, I'm not Semisonic, Disney, Dane Cook, Shakespeare, or even Dispatch, so please don't yell at me if I forget a disclaimer!

**

* * *

Chapter Three, Something**

_"Something bad is gonna happen  
I can feel it deep inside.  
There are shadows all around me,  
Like a bad moon on the rise..." -'Out of My Depth', Everclear_

Mike walked down the sidewalk on his way to the diner, hoping Ginny would be there - for some reason, and he couldn't figure out what it was - her coffee was the best. She used the same grounds, the same cups, the same sugar, the same method. But hers always tasted better. Who knows.

He shrugged to himself as he walked in the door with a smile, feeling happiness well up inside him at the sound of the bells jingling on the door. It had been too long since he'd last been home. He loved college, but this was where he belonged.

He saw his mom sitting at the counter, staring off into space and he grinned. She was always doing that, dazing off. She couldn't help it, she said it was a family thing, but he never did it, so...

"Hey Mom, what's up?" He said as he sat down next to her. Apparently she didn't hear him, or see him there, because she didn't respond.

"Earth to Mom?" He said, waving his hand in front of her face playfully. She snapped out of her daze and looked up at him and smiled.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, and he just laughed..

"I said 'what's up?'." He repeated. Mia sighed and put her head in her hands. That set off too many warning bells in his head to count. She was never like this. She was the one person in the world he could count on to have a smile on her face, even when things were rough.

"Gin and Holden have to go back." She sighed, defeated. He was confused, but smirked at the name.

"Holden? What's he done this time?" Mike laughed, she only called Draco 'Holden' when he was being a real jerk.

"He's just being...himself. An angry, self-righteous, stuck-up version of himself." Mike had never known his mom to be so...blunt. Well, she was blunt, but not that mean. He wanted to help out - he'd probably have to go have a talk with Draco of some sort...

"Uh oh," Mike said, "Want me to talk to him?"

"I'd love someone to give him a good kick in the shorts, but I don't think that'll work this time." Now Mike was lost. For years, he and Draco would sit around and talk about the girls, make each other feel better, have a sort of twisted version of bonding time.

"What? I don't get it..."

"They're going back to England, Michael." She said all too bluntly. He still didn't quite get it. He knew he was missing something really huge, and it was probably staring him in the face...

"For how long?"

"For good." His eyes bugged out, jand his jaw dropped. "Close your mouth," she instructed, "You'll catch flies." He promptly shut his mouth, but nothing else about his expression changed.

"What? Why? What about the diner?"

"Damon and Emma are going to school in England next year, and they have to go back."

"I...I'm sorry, am I missing something?" He asked, even though he knew the answer was 'yes'.

"Yes." Mia said, a small smile creeping across her face, "But you'll have to talk with Draco once he calms down. Isn't even really working anymore, so I sent him home. They haven't talked to anyone back there for years, I don't know how they're going to find a place to live..." She trailed off. His mind was swimming, he couldn't make out one thought from another - it felt like finals, all over again.

"But...wha...the kids...why?" He stuttered, and she chuckled. He shook his head, "Gimme a second to form a coherent thought...then I'll get back to you." He said with a laugh. He looked down and closed his eyes, and focused.

"Ok." He said. "Now. ...what?" His mom laughed, and he couldn't help but smile, too.

"Damon and Emma are going to Gin and Draco's old school, so they're going back. To England." She said slowly. He took in every single word, not missing a beat, and he nodded his head.

"And...why?"

"That," she said quietly, "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Draco about." Mike stared at her for a moment. His mother was not exactly good at keeping a secret - she never had been. She always alluded to it, mentioned it, talked around it - rarely did she keep it to herself.

"Are you serious?" Mike asked. His mom nodded and he gave an awkward laugh, not really sure of what else he could do.

A few minutes later, Mike had a soda and was people-watching when Damon and Emma walked in, sitting down at a table together, talking in hushed voices. Draco and Ginny followed a moment later, they looked especially unhappy today. They led the younger kids upstairs, Mike assumed they'd all fall back asleep as soon as their heads found the couch up there.

Sure enough, Draco and Ginny came back without Alex and Izzy - apparently they'd fallen asleep, but Julia was as awake as anyone else. Mike noticed how oddly quiet they both were, and decided to keep his eyes open for any situation that...well, needed a mediator.

After a half an hour, Mike hadn't heard a peep come from the kitchen, which is where Draco and Ginny had retreated to with Julie. Damon and Emma were still sitting at the same table, still talking in hushed voices, and Mike had a really, really bad feeling about it all. So he casually got up and strolled into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

He was greeted with a few looks, a few grunts, and little else. He was really surprised no one had asked him what he was doing there, why he was here instead of with his old friends, why he was in the kitchen at all...but he figured this all had to do with the stuff his mom had told him about.

"So," he said, to both of them. Ginny was sitting at a table near the back door, feeding Julia, while Draco was standing on the other side of the small room, by the grill. Both of them looked up at him again, but neither of them did anything else.

"I hear you're leaving," he said casually. He knew it was probably the wrong thing to say, but he said it anyway. He needed to get some sort of reaction out of them. Ginny's face flushed a bright red, and Draco's just hardened.

"And what else did you hear, Michael?" Draco asked through gritted teeth. Mike looked at him in surprise - Draco rarely got mad at him.

"What?" He asked, confused. "Nothing. Mom just said you guys were going back to England." He said innocently.

"What else did she say?" Draco pressed.

"Um...that you weren't coming back?" Mike searched for whatever answer Draco was looking for, but came up short.

"Anything else?" Mike just stared, he didn't know what Draco wanted him to say, so he figured it was best not to say anything.

"For crying out loud, Draco," Ginny interjected, "it's obvious he doesn't have a clue." Draco whirled around to face her, which put his back to Mike.

"It is not obvious. What if she tells everyone? You know how she is about secrets. This isn't exactly something I'm --"

"Draco Malfoy if you do not knock this off right now, I swear...It's Mia, for crying out loud! She may not be good with secrets, but this isn't like when Mike got accepted to college, or the time Izzy did her first somersault at gymnastics camp - these are our lives, Draco! She's not going to mess with that, and you know it!"

"Whoa, alright, everyone back in your corners," Mike said, walking between the couple with his arms spread wide out, like a referee.

"Mike, it's fine, I'm leaving. I'll take Julia with me, and we'll be back in a few hours." Ginny snapped, and she cleaned up and walked out with Julia. As soon as she was gone, Draco deflated. He slid onto a chair at the table and sighed. Mike sat down across from him and surveyed him.

"You wanna let me in on what's going on?" He asked, in the same curious fashion he always did. Draco looked up, and Mike saw the stony look of defeat on his face.

"We're going back." Draco said flatly.

"I got that much," Mike said, "What I didn't get was why it's such a big deal."

"Your mum didn't tell you?" Mike just shook his head and Draco sighed again. Which really threw Mike off because Draco's not a person who sighs. Ever. "Damon and Emma are going to school there, and so we're going to...move closer. Go back."

"Where ya gonna stay?" He asked curiously.

"Don't know yet."

"Why not just stay here? You know, if it's a boarding school, you can just go there twice a year to drop 'em off and pick 'em up - why move back?" Mike got the feeling he was missing a very large piece of the puzzle - things just weren't fitting at the moment. Then Draco took out what looked to be a very shiny twig, and he waved it around at the grill. Suddenly, Mike saw the utensils jump to life and start making the food on their own.

Mike looked at Draco, then back at the utensils, then back at Draco...then back at the utensils...then back at Draco.

"What the..." he started.

"I'm a wizard." Draco said bluntly. "And Red's a witch. And our kids are magical. That's really all there is to it." Mike couldn't find any words. This was...a lot.

"Oook..." was all he could get out. "That doesn't really answer the question. It helps, but it's not the answer." he pointed out after a moment.

"We haven't been back, Michael. No one knows we're alive. Red's family hasn't seen her in twelve years, they're probably going crazy. The War might have killed a few of them, and she wouldn't know it."

"The War?"

"Yeah, there was a War. That's why we left." Draco said impatiently. "And now we have to go back and...face it all."

"Alright, and so the problem is...?" Draco's face drained of emotion. Mike had never seen him look so neutral. Draco was always full of emotion, full of life. It was weird to seem him so devoid of it all. "You're going back for Damon and Emma, right?" Draco nodded curtly. "So then why are you fighting with Gin about it?" Mike asked.

"I don't know." Draco said after a long pause. "It's just been a long time since I've had to deal with this sh--"

"Daddy?" Came a small voice from the doorway. Both men looked up and saw Izzy standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes?" Draco responded softly as the little girl walked over and climbed up on his lap, resting her weary head on his shoulder.

"Where's Mommy?" She asked, closing her eyes again. Draco smiled softly,

"She took Julia out for a little bit, she'll be back soon."

"Oh," was all Izzy replied, before sticking her thumb in her mouth and curling up into a little ball of white. Draco smiled and kissed her lightly on the head, and Mike just watched. He looked back over, and saw that the utensils were almost finished with their Chicken Noodle Soup. He shook his head, marveling at the revelation and saw the door open out of the corner of his eye. He turned around in his chair to see Ginny walk in, without Julia.

"Hey," Draco said softly. Ginny walked over to where they were, a determined expression on her face.

"Hi." She said stiffly.

"So...when are you guys going back?" Mike asked again, quite casually. Draco looked down at the little bundle in his lap and smiled.

"As soon as we can, I suppose." He said quietly. Ginny sat down next to him,

"Really?" She asked hopefully. Draco smiled and nodded. Ginny smiled back at him, and Mike smiled because...well, because smiles are contagious.

"The Zabinis used to own a real estate agency, we can see if they still have it." Draco said, clearing his throat. "If they do, Blaise is probably running it, he can find us something."

"Blaise Zabibi?" Ginny squeaked out, a little too frightened for Mike's taste.

"Yeah, why?" Draco asked, looking confused.

"Nothing...I just...never thought I'd ask Blaise Zabini for anything, let alone a house." Mike figured he was missing something, although he knew he was almost always missing something, so it didn't bother him much.

"Well, they were the best, back in the day." Draco said.

"Which, by the way, was a Wednesday." Mike quoted with a grin. Ginny and Draco both laughed quietly. There was a slight pause in the conversation while they all gathered their thoughts.

"You know we're going to have to visit my family..." Ginny said timidly.

"Maybe if I'm holding Julia when we meet them, they won't kill me..." Draco said with a smirk.

"Don't bet on it." Ginny smirked back. Mike watched the tennis match in confusion, trying to keep a goofy grin off his face. They went back and forth for almost an hour, making plans, talking about people whose names Mike didn't recognize - Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter (Draco didn't seem to be fond of that subject), Blaise Zabini, Professor McGonagall. Mike just grinned a goofy grin, unable to stop himself.

Things seemed to perk up after that morning. Draco was easier to deal with, Mia stopped calling him Holden, and Ginny just seemed happier all around. It took just over a week to get everything organized, but Mike was gonna stay around and help his mom out for the summer, and help find her someone to take Draco's spot. They wanted to stay until Mia found someone, but she insisted they go back as soon as possible and get settled in. To Mike's dismay.

As soon as everyone was packed and ready to go, the whole gang stood inside Draco and Ginny's small, but cozy house.

"So you're coming back for Christmas, right?" Mia sniffed as she hugged Ginny. Ginny smiled as she moved back towards their fire place.

"Yes, we'll be back for Christmas." Ginny said, chuckling a little.

"And I'll see you next summer?" Mike mocked as he shook hands with Draco, who smirked.

"We'll be back, scout's honor." Draco said, earning him a smack on the arm from Ginny. Hugs were exchanged, and confused kids just smiled. Before they left, though, Draco and Mike retreated to the kitchen for a minute while the girls said their extra-long goodbyes.

"Take care of your mum, alright?" Draco said, with a stern look at Mike. Mike smiled,

"Promise. And you take care of Gin, or I might have to hurt you." He joked.

"Deal," Draco said, smiling. His smile soon faded, and Mike knew that still, there was a large piece of the puzzle missing. "Look," Draco continued after a minute, "Can you keep on call for us?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I don't know what's going to happen when we get back there,"

"Yeah, man, if you need me, I'll come. Mom'll want to come, too, though. Which means closing the diner in the summer." Mike pointed out. Draco smirked.

"Yeah...that's probably a bad idea."

"If you need us, we'll be there, alright?" Mike said softly. Draco looked him in the eye for the first time all night and smiled.

"Alright." He said. They exchanged glances and went back to the living room, where Ginny had lit the fire.

"What's that for?" Mike asked.

"I'll go first, with Alex, then Damon and Emma can come, and then you bring Izzy and Julia. Sound good?" Ginny said mechanically to Draco, who nodded, and then looked down at his two oldest children.

"Damon, Emma, I need you to listen to me. After your mum, you're going to step into the fire --"

"WHAT!" Four voices exclaimed at the same time. Mike, Mia, Damon and Emma were all staring at Draco as if he were completely mental. Draco looked annoyed, but managed to repeat himself through gritted teeth.

" --and when you're in there, I need you to say 'The Leaky Cauldron' as loud and as clear as you can, ok?"

"No, wait, seriously...what?" Mike repeated. Draco shot him a look that instructed him to shut up, but Mike and Mia kept protesting, until Ginny threw some powder into the fire and it changed colors.

"Come on, Alex, it's ok. The fire won't hurt you." She said firmly. She took her wary son's hand, and led him into the fire. She hugged him close, and called out "The Leaky Cauldron!" The flames spurt up, and Mike covered his eyes reflexively. When he opened them, Ginny and Alex were gone, and Draco was ushering a very scared-looking Damon and Emma into the emerald green flames.

"Just remember what I said. Hold onto each other tight, and say the name as clearly as you can, ok?" Emma visibly gripped Damon's arm, and he gulped before opening his mouth.

"The Leaky Cauldron!" He said loudly and clearly, and soon they spun out of sight as well.

Draco turned around one last time, and Mia hugged him tight. He smiled,

"Don't worry, we'll be back." He said, before turning to the fire. He stared at it for a moment, grabbing Izzy's hand and picking up Julia. He hesitated, and Mike felt something was off. Draco was the most calm, cool, and collected person he knew, and he was obviously uncomfortable. Although twelve years is a long time to not call someone. Especially if that someone is your mother. Mike couldn't imagine leaving New Jersey, leaving his mom, leaving Draco and Ginny for twelve years and never calling. He could imagine it was difficult to return after all that.

Soon enough, Draco put up the hood on the cloak he was wearing. He reached into his pocket and slipped a ring on his finger beforestrolling into the fire confidently. Holding Izzy on one side, and Julia on the other, he, too, spun out of sight.

Mike didn't know when he'd see them again - the short conversation he'd had with Draco in the kitchen had really put him on edge. Something was up. Something wasn't right. Something was off. He could even _feel_ it. Their house here felt _empty_ now - it wasn't supposed to be empty. It wasn't meant to be an _empty_ house. It was meant to be _their_ house. Draco had insisted on keeping it, saying they could afford it (to which Ginny always pointed out that it was _he_ who could afford it, not _they_) - and that they'd be back.

But something was missing. Maybe it was just them.


	5. Tomorrow

eeeee, hi guys! I'm loving the reviews, so keep 'em coming! Just wanted to update you, cause I just wrote a part that I REALLY want you to read,...but it doesnt happen for another two chapters or so, lol. SO, read quick! and review! And maybe we'll get there soon.

By the way, I'm no Dr. Seuss.

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Chapter Four, Tomorrow**

_"Times have changed, and times are strange,  
Here I come, but I ain't the same.  
Mama, I'm coming home..." -'Mama, I'm Coming Home', Ozzy Osbourne_

Ginny spun in the fire, gripping Alex's hand tightly. When they finally stepped out, Alex nearly fell over.

"Are you ok?" She asked worriedly. Using the Floo system for the first time was never a comfortable experience. Alex just stod still for a moment and nodded.

A second later, Damon and Emma spun into view, and stumbled out of the fire.

"Over here, guys," Ginny called out as she led Alex to a small table. She took a few deep breaths as she sat down, and pulled the hood on her cloak up.

"Mom, why are you wearing that?" Damon asked as he sat down next to her, Emma next to him, still trying not to fall over.

"Can I get you anything?" A voice from behind Ginny said. She looked over, making sure to keep her hair out of sight, and trying not to look the barman in the face. She liked being anonymous, and she was going to hold onto that as long as she could. She needed to be the first one to tell her family she was back. So she kept her hood up.

"Apple juice," Alex whispered to her.

"Coke!" Damon and Emma said simultaneously.

"Four pumpkin juices and two butterbeers." Ginny said loudly and firmly. All three kids looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?" Damon asked,

_"Mom!"_ Emma exclaimed. Alex just sat there, confused.

"Pumpkin juice?" Was all he could get out.

"Things here are going to be very different. It's not like it is back home, you're going to have to get used to some different things..." Ginny said firmly.

"If they don't have Coke at this school, I don't wanna go." Emma huffed. Ginny smirked at the little girl, who was growing up to be just like her father.

"_Emma_," Damon chided.

_"WHAT_ was _THAT!"_ They heard a high-pitched voice cry. Ginny turned around just in time to see Izzy fall over. "Wow." She said, grinning. "Can we do it again?" Ginny laughed at the little girl as Draco helped her up. She saw he'd put up his hood, too, and chuckled softly.

"C'mon, you," he said softly, as he carried both little girls over to the table. "What'd you get?" He asked Ginny quietly.

"Pumpkin juice for them, butterbeer for us." She replied.

"Dad, I want a Coke." Emma huffed. He looked over as he sat down next to her, making Alex scoot his chair over, closer to Ginny, so he could fit.

"I'm sorry, Emma, but they don't have Coke here."

_"What?"_ She cried. "I want to go home!" She said immediately, beginning to pout.

"You haven't even _tried_ the pumpkin juice yet, Emma," Ginny reminded her. "Remember green eggs and ham?"

"I do not _like_ green eggs and ham." She huffed,

"I do not _like_ them, Sam I am!" Damon finished with a grin. Ginny laughed, thinking that Mia would be proud of them.

A few minutes later the barman came back and set down the drinks.

"Anything else?" He said. He might've been Tom, but he didn't sound like Tom, and Ginny was too afraid to look at his face, so she just shook her head.

"No, thank you." She said, as she began passing out the cups. "Drink up, everyone."

After about ten minutes, Draco took out a few large, gold coins from his small bag. Ginny smirked and shook her head.

"It's been a long time." She said quietly, standing next to him.

"It sure has..."

"What are we doing now?" Emma asked.

"_Emma_," Damon chided, "We just _got_ here. Sheesh." Ginny smiled at them - they could be quite a pair.

"We're going to go see an old friend of mine," Draco explained calmly. Ginny wasn't feeling so calm. _Blaise Zabini?_ She was going to walk into a place owned by Blaise Zabini? This was a bad idea.

"Damon, Emma, could you two watch Alex, Izzy and Julia for a minute while I talk to Dad?" She said sweetly. The kids nodded and stayed at the table while Ginny and Draco walked a few steps away.

"I'm really not comfortable going to see Blaise Zabini..." she began timidly.

"Why not?"

"Well, we weren't exactly best friends in school..."

"I wasn't best friends with him either," Draco said with a chuckle, "but he can find us a good place to live, and quickly."

"How do you know he'll do it?" She asked, unsure. Draco just smirked.

"He will." And he turned around, motioning for the kids to get up, and they walked out towards Diagon Alley.

"What are we doing now?" Emma repeated.

"Emma! _Jeez!_" Damon said again. Ginny laughed,

"We're going to go talk to an old friend of Dad's, and get a house. Then you'll all need new clothes --"

"New clothes?" Emma said, straightening up and grinning.

"School supplies, uniforms, and some other things we can't get anywhere else." Ginny finished, ignoring Emma's interjection.

"New clothes?" Emma repeated as they entered the alley. "Wait...what are we doing here? There aren't any new clothes here."

"Emma," Draco said warningly, "Clothes will come later. First we have to go see Mr. Zabini, and go to the bank."

"Why didn't we just go to the bank at home?" Damon inquired.

"This is different money, Damon," Ginny explained.

"Why do we get new clothes?" Izzy asked.

"People here wear different things, Izzy," Ginny continued explaining. Draco waved his wand around, tapping things, and Diagon Alley appeared before their eyes, stopping all questions from the children as they marveled at what had just occured in front of their eyes.

As they entered the alley, Ginny leaned over to Draco.

"I wonder who's selling wands these days," she said quietly. He shrugged, and she tilted her head downward, keeping an eye on all the kids around her.

They walked up to Gringott's, and stood at the foot of the steps. Ginny could barely control the emotions welling up inside of her. She took a few deep breaths, trying to control her heartbeat, but she was getting a headache.

"What's this place?" Alex asked, in awe.

"The bank." Draco replied, taking the first step up.

"You have your key, right?" Ginny said, knowing full well that Draco still had the key to his personal vault.

When they walked in, Izzy grabbed her hand tightly and gasped. Ginny'd forgotten the kids didn't know about goblins.

"Kids," she called, "Come here." As they gathered around, she bent down so she could talk lower. Draco nodded to her, and walked off to talk to a goblin, leaving them at the entrance.

"Mom," Alex whispered, coming up next to her and poking her arm. "What...what are they?"

"Kids, Dad went to get some money, he'll be right back, ok?" They all nodded. "Now," her voice dropped a bit lower, "listen to me. These are goblins." A few gasps were heard, but Ginny shook her head. "Don't worry, they're very nice. They work here and keep our money safe."

"Why don't people do it?" Damon asked. Ginny noticed the death grip he and Emma had on each other's hands - both their knuckles were turning white.

"Goblins are better at it," she said calmly, with a smile. "They're very good at what they do. They're not scary, don't worry - just don't try and steal their money." Julia whimpered and cowered into Ginny's shoulder as a goblin walked by behind them. "Really, it's ok," Ginny assured them.

Draco came back a few seconds later, and the kids led the way out quickly. He gave Ginny a puzzled look, but she just gestured to a goblin as they walked out and he understood.

They walked out and down a street, until they came up to a large building with glass siding.

"You should probably come, too," Draco said, holding open the door for her and the kids. She sighed and walked in, marveling at the gorgeous lobby. They walked up to the reception desk, and stood there, waiting for the receptionist to see them. When she finally looked up, she popped her bubblegum and quickly cleared her throat.

"Can I help you?" She said in a high pitched, nasal voice.

"We need to speak with Blaise Zabini." Draco said firmly. Damon and Emma's heads both snapped up at their father's tone, and they looked confused.

"Is he expecting you?" the receptionist asked, eyeing the kids.

"No." Draco replied.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Zabini is very busy. You'll have to make an appointment." She said snidely. Ginny's face flushed, because she knew what was coming next. Draco's posture hardened, and he cleared his throat.

"I don't think you understand." He said quietly, reaching up and taking down his hood. "I need to speak with Blaise Zabini. Right now." He sneered. "I'm an old friend."

"Sir, I don't care if you're the Minister of _Magic_, Mr. Zabini's _busy_." She snapped.

"What's your name?" He inquired viciously. She looked up at him defiantly.

"Suzie."

"Alright, Suzie. You call Mr. Zabini's office right now. Tell him Draco Malfoy needs to speak with him. He'll want to talk to me." At this point Emma's mouth fell open. She'd never heard her father talk to anyone like that in her life. Damon propmtly smacked her arm, and hissed something into her ear. She closed her mouth, but kept her eyes wide. Ginny blushed - she didn't want Draco to use his name like that. She used to hate it when he flaunted it like that.

Suzie just glared at him. His face twisted into a cold, dispassionate glare.

"Do it now, or I will have your job." He hissed quietly.

"Draco!" Ginny cried, wanting to yell at him. But he turned around and gave her a look, to which she sighed frustratedly and waited for the receptionist to do as she was asked. Suzie seemed skeptical of the situation, but decided she'd give it a shot. She pressed a few buttons, and pulled the microphone to her headset down.

"Mr. Zabini? There's someone here to see you. ...Yessir, I understand." She pushed it back up above her head. "He says he's busy and to come back when you have an appointment. Ginny was sure that if Suzie didn't stop being uncooperative, Draco would say something he'd regret.

"_Call him back_." Draco interrupted Ginny's thoughts, with a vicious tone. "Right now. Call him back and tell him my _name_." Suzie glared at him, but pulled the microphone back down.

"Mr. Zabini? Sir? Yes, the gentleman...yessir...no sir...he said to tell you that Draco Malfoy wanted to see you... ...Yessir, I'm sure. Sir, I would _never_..." She gave a puzzled look to the air in front of her and pushed the microphone back up. "He hung up on me." She said, confused.

"_Thank_ you." Draco said stiffly. A few seconds later, the elevator near the desk dinged, and Draco and Ginny looked up to see Blaise Zabini walk out. He looked older and more sophisticated, but he was still Blaise. He hadn't changed too much.

"Who thinks he's Draco Malfoy?" He asked angrily.

"I do." Draco said with a smirk. Blaise froze in his position, staring at his old classmate. His gaze then shifted to Ginny, then down to each child in turn, then back to Draco.

"What?" He asked in disbelief. Draco took a step forward and stuck out his hand.

"Hello, Blaise." Blaise looked down at his hand, then pulled Draco into a hug.

"Where the he--"

"_Happy._" Ginny said loudly, through gritted teeth. Blaise stopped and just looked at her.

"Happy?" He asked, confused. Draco chuckled. "Where the happy have you been?" Blaise surveyed her curiously, not recognizing her. She figured her time as a regular, old, normal person was up, and she lowered her hood.

"Hello, Blaise." She said, trying to smile politely. She could feel her cheeks flush at all the eyes on her, even though that was just her family, Blaise and Suzie.

"And you are...?" Blaise said, taking a step over and sticking out his hand.

"Ginny Weasley." She said, timidly shaking his hand. Blaise's mouth dropped open and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He turned back to Draco.

"She...you...he...but..." he stuttered. Draco smirked at him,

"Get back to me when you can form a coherent thought, Zabini." Blaise shook his head and smiled.

"What...where have you been? Have you two been together all this time? What's going on?" He said, firing off questions faster than the couple could catch them.

"There are a few people I'd like you to meet." Draco said, putting his hand on Damon's back and ushering him forward. "This is Damon, Emma, Alexander, Isabelle and Julia." He said, motioning to each child as he said their name.

"And they're..._yours_?" Blaise asked. Draco chuckled,

"Yes, they're ours."

"Holy --"

"_Cow_." Ginny finished for him, warningly. He looked up at her and held her gaze for a second, as if trying to decide whether or not he liked her. He reluctantly inclined his head slightly,

"Cow." He repeated. "So," he began again, turning back to Draco. "What the he--"

"_Happy!_ For crying out loud, it's not that difficult!" Ginny said exasperatedly. Blaise gave her a surprised look.

"I'm sorry," he said in a too-polite voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I need a favor, Zabini." Draco said seriously.

"Sure, whatever you need. Want to go up to my office?" He said, motioning to the elevator. Draco looked back at Ginny who nodded,

"I'll take the kids over to Madam Malkin's or something. Is that place still open?" She asked Blaise. He nodded,

"I'm not sure it'll ever close."

"Some things never change," Draco said with a smirk. "Get the kids what they want." He instructed, handing Ginny a small purse full of coins. Emma squealed and took her place next to her mom, ready to go buy new things. Ginny sighed and ushered the kids out of the building, thanking the receptionist as she walked by, who looked like she'd choked on her gum.

They walked down the street, Ginny's hood down. They got numerous glances, and people were pointing and whispering. Ginny remembered how it had been back at school when she'd first gotten her streak ofwhite hair. This was ten times worse. Shouldn't people grow out of this sort of thing?

"Mom, why are people staring at us?" Damon asked as they walked briskly down the street. She adjusted Julia on her hip, and just pushed them into Madam Malkin's, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

"Mom?" Damon prodded.

"May I help you?" Madam Malkin asked. Ginny anxiously tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Hello...yes, we need robes for all these kids, they don't have any, so they'll need measurements done, and multiple sets..."

"_Mom?_" Damon said impatiently.

"Mom, Damon's talking to you." Emma spoke up.

"Alright then, Who's first?" Madam Malkin asked.

"ME!" Emma cried, raising her hand, forgetting her petition for her brother.

"Right this way," Madam Malkin said, and Emma followed her into another room.

"_Mooommm_," Damon said frustratedly.

"What?" Ginny snapped.

"Why is everyone _staring_ at us?" he repeated. She sighed and looked around. No one else was in the shop, so she sat down on a chair. Izzy roamed around the shop a little, looking at all the different robes, Alex sat next to her, brooding, and Julia was playing with a lock of her mother's hair. Damon stood right in front of her with a determined look on his face. "Well?"

"Damon, a lot of the people here know me and your dad."

"Why?"

"Because we grew up around here. And they haven't seen us for a long time - Since before you were born..." She said, trying to sound more confident than she was.

"Oh." Was all he said. It was all he had time to say - Emma came bounding out of the fitting room a few moments later, walking quickly up to Ginny with a wide grin on her face.

"Damon, you go in next," Ginny instructed. He did as he was told, and Ginny turned back to Emma.

Most of the afternoon was wasted in Madam Malkin's - Alex was less than happy to be measured for new clothes that he considered dresses. Izzy, on the other hand, was thrilled when she found out dress robes were all different colors. Ginny didn't want to get any of them dress robes just yet, though. Especially Izzy - she was way too young to need something like that.

After a few hours of fitting, browsing and waiting for everyone else to finish up, Draco strode into the shop. He looked less than pleased, which gave Ginny a sinking feeling. Part of her would be perfectly happy to go back to New Jersey now - back to the diner that they'd lived in for so long, but she knew that wasn't really an option. Especially not now that Emma thought she was getting new clothes.

"So what happened?" Ginny asked quietly as Draco sat down next to her. Julia was the only one left near them, she was on the floor by Ginny's feet, happily playing with the hem of Ginny's cloak.

"What? What do you mean?" He asked, seeming to snap out of whatever daze he'd been in.

"I mean do we have a place to sleep tonight?"

"Of course we do," He said, brushing off her anxiety. "This is Blaise we're talking about. I told you he'd come through. Are we almost done here?" It amazed her sometimes, how quickly and flawlessly he could change the subject.

"Yes, almost," she answered. "We just have to pay for the robes we have now, and order whatever she doesn't have."

"And their dress robes?"

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Their dress robes - what colors are they getting?" He asked casually.

"I wasn't going to get them dress robes." She replied.

"What? Why not?"

"Draco, I didn't get dress robes until I was thirteen, none of these kids are going to need them anytime soon." She pointed out.

"What? You didn't?" He asked, surprised. Ginny shook her head. "Well why not?"

"There's no need for them," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I wore mine all the time." He said matter-of-factly. "We might as well get them. If they grow out of them before they need them, we'll just get them another set, but until then..."

"Draco, that's ridiculous." Ginny said bluntly.

"Why?"

"It's a waste of money!" She couldn't understand why this needed to be explained to him. It was completely unnecessary for a four year old to have dress robes.

"Red, we have more than enough. My vault is just as full as it was when I left, and I don't plan on not working, so we'll be earning money. It's not an issue." She was about to retort when Madam Malkin came out of the racks and Draco stood up.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" She asked politely.

"We need dress robes for all of them - silver for Damon, lavender for Emma," which earned quite a loud squeal from the little girl, "For Alexander, navy- shouldn't you be writing this down?" He asked impatiently.

"For the oldest, silver and lavender, the next boy blue - no, I've got it." Madam Malkin replied. Draco sighed impatiently before continuing.

"Sky blue for Isabelle, and for Julia --"

"Pink!" The little girl shouted, tugging at her fathers pants. He looked down at her and smirked. 'Pink' was one of the very few words she said often, but she did say it quite often.

"Alright, then, pink it is." He said good-naturedly, picking her up. Ginny sighed an impatient sigh of her own, and crossed her arms.

"I still think this is absurd." She muttered. Draco ignored her, and Madam Malkin walked off. They paid for the robes they had, and walked out.

For whatever reason - Ginny couldn't figure it out - Diagon Alley was much more crowded than when she'd gone into the shop. Maybe it was just that people wanted to shop, or were out for dinner or something, but it seemed busier.

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman with obviously dyed blonde hair sprinted up and almost collided with Draco. They gave her an alarmed look, but she didn't move. She just stared up at him in curiosity.

"Are you really Draco Malfoy?" She asked quickly. Draco glanced at Ginny, but nodded. Ginny slipped her hand into his, more anxious now than she'd been all afternoon. This was the beginning of the part she'd been dreading.

"And who are you?" The woman asked Ginny snidely. Ginny gave her a surprised, almost offended look at her tone of voice.

"Excuse me," Draco interrupted, "May I ask who _you_ are?" The woman looked up at him, but didn't answer. She surveyed them, and then reached into her crocodile purse and pulled out a bright green quill.

"Oh my _God_," Ginny said out loud, "they still let you work?" She said, disgusted. She'd always hated Rita Skeeter, and couldn't imagine her still writing for the Daily Prophet. The woman gave her an offended look of her own,

"Do I know you?" She asked rudely.

"_Excuse me_," Draco said through gritted teeth, "but you will not speak to her in that _tone_." His voice was firm and resolute, but the woman didn't listen.

"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet," she said with a sweet smile, turning back to Draco and sticking out her hand. He looked at Ginny for some sort of confirmation that he should know her.

"She's the one who used to write all those horrible things about everyone, about how Harry was crazy, and how Hermione was cheating on him." Ginny answered loudly, earning her a harsh glare from the reporter.

"And who might you be?" She asked again, just as rudely.

"Ah, now I remember," Draco smirked.

"You should, you prat. You helped her." Ginny spat amusedly. Draco chuckled, but Rita Skeeter looked less than amused. She cleared her throat and the couple turned back to her.

"No comment." Draco smirked. She looked at him aghast.

"But I haven't --"

"No comment." He repeated, as he began to walk past her. Ginny followed suit, with a smirk of her own, and the children all just fell in step behind them.

"Mom, who was that?" Damon asked quietly, looking over his shoulder at the woman they'd left behind.

"She's just someone we used to know." Ginny said, deciding it was best to follow that up with instructions. "If she ever comes to talk to you guys, though, you come get me first, understand? Don't talk to her, ok?" Damon nodded decisively, and moved up next to his dad.

As they walked through the streets, the sun began to set. It wasn't until then that Ginny realized how late it must've been. As they neared the end of a block, they found a small cafe where they silently decided to get dinner.

After they ate, Ginny sat back and reflected on the mind-blowing experience that had been her day. She couldn't believe she was back, and conversely, now couldn't believe she'd really left. And for so long. She couldn't believe she had children. She couldn't believe their father was Draco bloody _Malfoy_.

"You ok, Mom?" Damon asked, concerned. Ginny looked down at him and smiled. She nodded and sighed, looking out onto the street.

"You should probably send your family an owl. If Rita Skeeter knows we're back, the whole world will in a few hours." Draco said seriously, but as nicely as he could. She looked at him and nodded sadly. This was going to be the second most difficult owl she'd ever written.

They made their way to the post office, Ginny attributed the kids' behavior to their fascination with the new experiences and sights, and she hoped it'd stay at least until she wrapped her own head around the situation. But the kids were mainly quiet, with only a few tired protests from Julia and Izzy.

Ginny bought a piece of parchment, borrowed a quill and paid for an owl to deliver it to The Burrow. Now came the hard part. She stood, quill poised to write, for almost a half a minute before sighing frustratedly and looking up at Draco. He gave her a sympathetic smile, but was quickly distracted by a tired cry from Julia, who just wanted to go home.

Ginny wanted to take her to her home. Tell her that she was safe and everything was ok. But the truth was that she wasn't sure if everything was ok. She knew it was sort of her job to at least _say_ everything was ok, but she couldn't even do that. She knew it would be ok someday, though.

She turned back to the parchment, which now held the words 'Dear Mom' on it, and held her quill over it again. She scribbled down a few sentences, telling her she was back, hoping she could come see her, she'd missed her, etc. etc., and signed 'Love, Ginny'. She knew it wasn't good enough. Nothing could ever be good enough. How do you say hello after twelve years? Especially after not having given a proper 'goodbye' in the first place. How do you even approach that situation? Seeing her face to face would have been preferable, but there wasn't time for that. They needed to go settle down in their new home so the kids could get to bed. They would go see the Weasleys tomorrow.

Tomorrow they would meet everyone again. Tomorrow they would see what was left of their old world. Tomorrow they would find out what this new world held for them, where they fit in.

But that was tomorrow. Tonight, they were just going to sleep.


	6. Just Do It

yay for all the great reviews! I love getting feedback on the chapters, so keep it up!

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**Chapter Five, Just Do It**

_"I've seen your inside--you stay inside,  
And I won't go for that.  
I've seen your quarters,  
Seen your crooked sacred pictures on the wall._

_Concede and believe me,  
I won't give up - I won't give out on you.  
Concede and believe me,  
I won't give up - I won't give out on you..." -'Concede', Sister Hazel_

Tomorrow came far too quickly for Draco's liking - it always had, and he figured it always would. There was no changing the number of seconds in a minute, or how quickly they passed. But the odd thing was that they always seemed to pass more quickly when things were good, or when something bad was coming. He knew nothing gold could stay, but really - did it have to all die that quickly?

He stayed in his new bed with his eyes closed, willing sleep to return, despite the pitter-patter of feet outside his door. He knew if he didn't get up soon the kids would tear the whole house apart before they even got it all set up, so he sighed and sat up.

He looked around the room, Ginny had apparently already gotten up, which was good. Then maybe they wouldn't get around to destroying the house...

The room was pretty much what he'd gotten used to over the years. It wasn't too large or ornate, like Malfoy Manor had been all those years, but it was more like their house in New Jersey - comfortable as opposed to formal. Not too large, but not really small. At the moment it was pretty deserted - there were two dressers, two closets, two bedside tables, and stuff strewn all over everywhere. That's pretty much how the entire house looked - lone pieces of furniture in a sea of stuff.

Draco knew that, beyond all the other crappy days he'd ever experienced in his life, if he could choose one day to not wake up on - today would be that day. He would really have preffered not going to meet an army of angry redheads who didn't like him in the first place. But Ginny needed to see them. For whatever reason, she liked them. He figured it was some sort of unwritten code for normal families - you have to like them no matter what. He knew that if Isabelle disappeared for twelve years he'd want to throttle her. That thought really didn't help his mood.

He stood up, unconsciously rubbed his left forearm, and slipped on a pair of slippers.

He walked out into the hallway and looked around. He would need a few days to get used to the new layout. They'd put Damon and Emma on the third floor together - there were two rooms and a bathroom, and while they were at school it would be easy to maneuver around. Izzy and Alex shared a room, separated mostly by a wall, but connected by a door. Julia had a smaller room off to the side of the master bedroom, which had its own bathroom. So all in all, six bedrooms and three bathrooms. Not too bad for such short notice.

He walked down the stairs and looked around. There were one or two rooms which they hadn't designated a purpose for yet, but mostly things were laid out. They'd stayed up pretty late just organizing everything. There was a living room, dining room, kitchen, den, and a few others, including a furnished basement. All in all, a pretty big house.

He walked into the kitchen to see a few tired faces sitting at the table. He looked over and saw Ginny standing over the stove, working on something that smelled like bacon.

"What's going on?" He asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Hey sleepyhead," She said, turning around and smiling. He smirked, and looked at the kids, who were all giggling. Everyone was up except for Damon and Emma.

"Where are the twins?" He asked, moving over next to her.

"They're still upstairs. Emma's working on a list of things she wants in her room, and she's making Damon help her, so I promised I'd save him some breakfast." Draco smirked - that was just like them.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I could've made that stuff." He said, gesturing to the bacon in the pan, noticing that next to it was a pan of eggs, some toast on a plate, and a small jar of strawberry jam. Ginny just smiled at him.

"But you _always_ make breakfast," She said.

"I always make everything, Red," he interrupted with a smirk.

"And since we're going to visit my family today, I figured I'd let you sleep in." She finished. He wasn't really sure whether or not to smirk at that. Visiting her family was...well, odds were it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

"Yeah, well..." was all he got out before he was shooed to the table. He helped Julia gather her Cheerios on her high chair, while trying to keep Izzy awake long enough to smell the bacon.

Finally, breakfast was served, and not too much later, Damon came storming into the kitchen, followed grumpily by Emma.

"Good morning," Draco greeted them with a smirk. Damon sat down with force, which made Emma roll her eyes and sit down next to him. "Everything alright?" He asked casually.

"It is now." Damon muttered.

"Shut _up_!" Emma exclaimed.

"No!" He yelled back.

"Yes!" She shouted.

"Alright!" Draco interrupted, "That's enough. Today's a pretty big day, you hear me? And I won't have you two bickering the whole time."

"What're we doing today?" Alex interrupted. Draco looked at him, and for the first time, realized how much like Wease-- Ron, he looked. Ginny's older brother. The resemblance really was striking. It sort of threw Draco offguard for a moment. "Dad?" Alex repeated.

"We're going to go visit your grandparents." He said shortly.

"Huh?" Alex replied. Six year olds could be so articulate at times.

"Your mother's parents, we're going to go visit them." He said calmly. Ginny had come over to the table, and was now sitting at the other end. They exchanged glances before continuing.

"We never visited them before because we lived so far away," Ginny explained, "but today you get to meet them." The kids just sort of sat there, stunned. Well, most of them, anyway. Izzy was fiddling with a piece of bacon that just wouldn't go onto the fork, Julia was trying to fit a handful of Cheerios into her mouth, and Damon and Emma were exchanging meaningful glances and gestures that only they could understand. So really, Alex was the only one paying any attention, but Draco figured that the older ones would be polite, and the younger ones would follow Alex's lead, so they'd be ok. At least, he hoped.

There really was only one way to deal with this situation. And that was to just get over it, and get on with it. So he did. After breakfast, he and Ginny helped the kids get ready with their new robes - which Damon and Alex were not happy with - and eventually were ready to leave.

"Are you sure about this? Maybe I should go alone first, and then you can come...bring the kids later on...I didn't exactly...mention you all in the letter..." Ginny said worriedly. Draco just took a deep breath and gave her a serious look.

"Trust me on this one - it's better this way." Her look didn't change, and he could see a few little kids getting very antsy out of the corner of his eye. "Really. Just trust me." He then opened the front door and let everyone out. Looking at them fall into line he couldn't help but smile. He used to torment the Weasleys for having so many children - laugh at and scorn them. And now look at him. Just like a Weasley. Except blonde.

"Hey! Whoa! Dad, where'd that come from!" Damon exclaimed, pointing at their car. Draco smirked and opened the car door for them.

"Magic." Was all he said.

They had decided to drive to The Burrow, hoping that their assumptions were correct. Ginny couldn't imagine her parents living anywhere else, so they figured that was their best bet.

As they drove up the long driveway, Draco saw Ginny visibly stiffen out of the corner of his eye. The kids were all bickering in the back, but he figured it best to ignore this one - sometimes, that was just what you had to do.

"Don't look so scared, they're your relatives. If anyone should be scared, it should be me." He said with a smirk. She returned a timid smile, and he just looked ahead as he parked the car. He took a deep breath, and willed himself to calm down. While they were away, he rarely had to use his guard. No one was after him, no one wanted to humiliate him, no one wanted to kill him. Unfortunately, though, that wasn't the case anymore. He needed to regain the composure he'd had as a teenager. The calm, cool, collected shell despite the chaotic world around him.

He shut his eyes for a second before turning around.

"Listen up," he said loudly, "You are all to be on your best behavior. I will not tolerate any misbehavior today, got it?" He saw the stunned faces of the three oldest kids, Izzy's confused face, and Julia's toothy grin. He sighed and got out, opening the door for them all.

They filed out quietly, and he knew they were feeling unsure of the entire situation. He rarely emphasized such good behavior - which surprised him, now that he thought of it. Growing up a child of high society - all that had been emphasized was good behavior. But that wasn't important in the Muggle world. At least, not where they'd been.

Now they were all standing in front of the door. Draco kept his breathing slow and even, calm. The kids were gathered in front of him, and Ginny was right in front of the door. She glanced back at him again, and he gave her an amused smirk, urging her forward.

She took a deep breath, her nervous energy affecting them all. He wanted to tell her to calm down, if not for herself for the kids, who seemed to be scared stiff at this point, but he knew it was better if he stayed quiet and just let fate run its course.

She knocked hesitantly on the front door, and they all waited.

The door cracked open, and a little boy peeked out. He had brown hair, and looked to be about Alex's age.

"Can I help you?" Ginny gave Draco a startled glance, but turned back to the little boy.

"Hi, I was just wondering --"

"Gideon, what are you doing?" An older woman's voice came from behind the door.

"Mum, there are people here." He said, turning around and looking up. Draco barely had time to see the hand grab the door before it opened, revealing an average sized brunette, who looked oddly familiar. She must've recognized something, though, because her entire face froze in mute horror when she saw Ginny.

The woman's eyes slowly traveled to Draco, at which point she put her hand over her stomach, and then to the kids. She didn't say anything, even though she looked like she wanted to, she just gaped at Ginny. Draco knew he should know her, but all the Weasleys were redheads...and Ginny had been the only girl.

"Gi...Ginny?" The woman squeaked out breathlessly, her eyes fixed on Ginny, who nodded. Immediately the tears started flowing from both women, and Draco shifted uncomfortably. They embraced and held each other for a moment. When she pulled back, she looked at Draco again, who tried to convey an air of cool, but thought he was failing miserably.

"You...you're...Draco Malfoy?" Draco smiled awkwardly, and stuck out his hand. She just stared at it, and so he withdrew it a moment later. Without saying anything she turned around,

"_Molly!_ Molly, come _quick!_ It wasn't a hoax!" She squealed. The little boy - Gideon - seemed to slink away, back to where ever he'd come from.

All the kids seemed to shift uncomfortably, and Emma even tried to sit down on the step, but a stern look from Draco stopped her in her tracks. Ginny turned around to look at Draco, with a nervous grin on her face, and tears streaming down her cheeks. Draco smiled at Ginny, who seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

The woman stepped out of the doorway to reveal an even older, graying woman, who looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Well, maybe that wasn't exactly the best analogy these days - Muggles just weren't as used to seeing ghosts as wizards, and Draco had picked up a few of their mannerisms.

The older woman reached out and leaned on the younger woman for support, looking as though she were about to fall over.

"Hi, Mum," Ginny squeaked. Suddenly the entire doorway seemed to explode with cries from all three women, tears and exclaimations, and even a group hug. Damon glanced up at his father for reassurance, but all Draco could do was shrug. Women would be women, and no man could help that.

After a few minutes, the loud exclaimations seemed to calm down, and the women separated.

"Come in! Come in! Come in!" Molly repeated, making Draco smirk a bit. When her eyes finally rested on him, though, they hardened a bit.

"Mum, stop," Ginny interrupted, "I'll explain inside." Molly let them in, and as they walked into the kitchen, Draco moved up next to Ginny.

"Who's the other woman?" He asked quietly, so no one else would hear. Ginny just grinned,

"Don't you remember Hermione?" She said. A switch in Draco's brain flipped and his face twisted into a surprised smirk.

"Mu --" he began affectionately, but didn't get the chance to finish, because Ginny smacked him on the arm. Hard.

"_Draco Malfoy, I swear to **God**, if you even **think** about uttering **that word** in **this house** you are sleeping **outside** tonight._" She said seriously. He put his hands up innocently, and then they realized how quiet it had gotten. When they both turned around, they saw four very amused kids and two very surprised women.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Molly whispered in disbelief while Emma and Damon snickered uncontrollably. Ginny shot them a glare, and they tried to control themselves, but they had trouble with it.

Draco looked up at the two strange women and smirked; Neither of them looked very happy to see him.

Molly poured three cups of tea, and the three women sat down. The kids looked up to Draco in confusion, looking for something to do, something to say - but he, too, came up short. They all just stood around, except, of course, Julia, who was trying to run around impatiently, every few minutes being stopped by one of her older siblings. Draco decided it was time for parental intervention, so he reached down and picked her up.

"C'mon, we gotta be good today," he whispered into her ear. She looked at him with her bright brown eyes and smiled. He smiled back at her, and she put her hand on his cheek, somehow realizing that her small hand was just as large as his cheek. He chuckled, and looked down at the other kids. He just shrugged, and Damon and Emma went back to their form of silent communication - it really was weird how they could communicate like that.

"Daddy, when are we goin home?" Izzy asked, fiddling with her robes.

"Not just yet," He replied.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because we just got here." He said seriously. It wasn't until that moment that he realized that no one else was talking - they were all staring at him. Ginny in adoration and love, Hermione and Molly in surprise and something that almost looked like horror. "What?" He asked them, confused. Ginny just laughed and shook her head. Julia squirmed in his arms, and he just looked at her with a smirk. "Stop it," he said quietly. She looked at him, wide-eyed and curious, and just smiled again.

An awkward silence took over the room, and the kids took to fidgeting. Draco figured they really couldn't help it, but really wished that they had the patience of an adult. Izzy decided she didn't feel like standing up, so she sat down on the floor.

"Isabelle," Draco warned. Izzy just looked up and gave Draco an innocent smile - his stern look didn't seem to phase her at all.

"Isabelle?" Molly asked Ginny with tears in her eyes. Ginny smiled and nodded.

"Damon and Emma are eleven," Ginny said quietly, trying to control her breathing. Damon stepped forward a little and smiled, but Emma didn't until he pulled her next to him. "Alex is six," Alex followed his older brother's suit. "Izzy is four, and Julia is just over a year." She finished quietly.

"And they're...his?" Hermione squeaked. Both Draco and Ginny laughed.

"What? You don't think they look like him?" Ginny said with a quiet smile. Hermione blushed, but Molly was less than amused. She cleared her throat.

"Would you kids like some...biscuits? I made some for breakfast this morning." She said, trying obviously not to cry. Damon's eyes lit up and Alex shrugged. They both stepped forward, following Molly, who just stood up. Emma looked up at Draco, who nodded in permission, and she followed them. Molly led them to the other side of the room, and into the living room, where Draco watched them gather around a coffee table and dig into a plate of biscuits.

He turned back to the table, Molly had since come back, and just stood in the background.

The three women sat there for a few moments, anxiously stirring their tea.

"So...Professor Weasley...is that...is that you?" Ginny asked timidly, looking at Hermione. She blushed and smiled before nodding. "That's great...what do you teach?"

"Transfiguration," Hermione said quietly. Ginny nodded in understanding.

"That's great..." she repeated quietly. Draco shifted again, trying not to be noticed, but Molly did notice, and eyed him with an unidentifiable look on her face. It was now his turn to clear his throat and try to smile awkwardly.

Tears started streaming down Molly's face, and she just kept wiping at them with her hand. Ginny looked back up at Draco, unsure of what to do, and he just tried to convey some sort of sympathy. Thank Merlin he wouldn't have to go through this.

"Have...have you two...been together this whole time?" Molly asked through her tears, before choking on laughter. "Of course you have, Damon and Emma are so old..." Ginny blushed and hung her head.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked quietly, but pointedly.

"We...we lived as Muggles." Ginny replied. Molly nearly choked again, but caught herself.

"Muggles? How did you manage that?" She asked.

"Well, Draco worked --"

"He what?" Hermione interrupted, her eyebrows practically shooting off her forehead. Draco couldn't help but smirk.

"He worked - cooked --" Ginny tried to finish,

"He _what?_" Hermione interrupted again. Draco tried to supress his laughter, but he ended up just smirking again.

"Stop smirking," Ginny said. Draco's eyes bulged as he looked at the back of her head. He was standing behind her - there was no possible way she could've seen him, and yet she knew. She always knew when he was smirking - it was creepy. "Yeah, I know." She said, as if reading his thoughts.

"Merlin," he muttered, "I'm going to go check on the kids." He said, rolling his eyes. Molly and Hermione eyed him, but Ginny nodded. he retreated into the living room to find Izzy running all over the place, Damon and Emma playing a game on the couch, Alex sitting on the floor sulking, and Julia nowhere to be found.

"What are you four doing?" He demanded. They all froze and looked up at him. Izzy immediately turned around, though, and went back to what she was doing.

"Playing!" She replied. Damon, Emma and Alex, however, knew it wasn't that easy.

"Over here." He said firmly. "Now." Izzy made her way over to him slowly, and Alex stood up. "You guys need to behave, hear me? Where's Julia?" He heard a giggle come from behind the couch, and he leaned over. Sure enough, she was crouched by the end of the couch, and giggled delightedly when she was found.

"I'm sure that if we asked, Mrs. Weasley could get you some pumpkin juice --"

"I don't like pumpkin juice." Emma announced.

"Well then, you might have a hard time at school." Draco replied.

"I changed my mind. I don't want to go to this school. I want a Coke." She said decidedly.

"Emma, we're here now, and we can't go back. You can have a Coke sometime after your Mum goes shopping, before you go to school, but you're going to have to learn to like new things."

"But I like my old things!" She cried.

"I know," Draco said seriously, "but sometimes we need to move on and get _new_ things." Emma sighed dramatically and sat back down on the couch next to Damon, who hadn't moved. He gave her a look that said she'd invaded his personal space, but she didn't seem to notice. "Now," Draco said, turning to Alex, "are you alright?" The little boy looked down at his feet and shuffled them a bit. He shrugged and looked his father in the eye.

"I dunno," he mumbled.

"Don't mumble," Draco corrected him, "I can't hear you."

"I said 'I don't know'." Alex repeated, annoyed.

"Well, what's wrong?" Draco prodded. Alex just looked around at his siblings, then back to his feet and shrugged. "Do you want to come in and sit with us?" He offered. Alex's eyes shot up and searched Draco's face.

"Sure," he said, obviously trying to contain his excitement.

"Alright, can you two watch Isabelle and Julia? The grown-ups need to talk for awhile, and Alex is going to come with us." Draco said to Damon and Emma, who nodded.

"Hey, Dad?" Damon began. Draco looked at him, "Can I have some pumpkin juice?" Emma made a retching noise, but Draco shot her a stern look just as Damon elbowed her, and the combination seemed to make her stop. She busied herself trying to get Julia out from behind the couch.

"Sure," Draco said, before walking back out, Alex in tow. The women immediately hushed as they walked into the kitchen, Molly and Hermione turning to stare at Draco and Alex, Ginny with a soft smile on her face. Alex went to stand by her, and she put her arm around him. He decided not to sit down, though. Draco felt the same - very much like a stranger, but wasn't going to say anything. Draco stood there awkwardly for a second before asking for Damon's pumpkin juice. Molly quickly obliged, taking it into him herself. Draco watched her go, and tried to warn her about Emma, but she'd already left.

"Be careful of what?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Emma hates pumpkin juice," Draco smirked. Ginny giggled,

"Oh boy," she said quietly. Hermione just took a deep breath and stood up.

"I have to go check of Gideon and Fabian, I'll be back soon." She said stiffly.

"Gideon and Fabian?" Ginny asked with a sad smile. Hermione just looked at her with a smile and nodded before wandering off.

"Mom, who's that?" Alex asked quietly as Draco took a seat next to her.

"That's your Aunt Hermione."

"Hermione's a weird name." He said matter-of-factly.

"Alex," Ginny said sternly, "I need you to be nice today, alright?"

"I know, I know," he said defensively.

"So what happened in there?" She asked. Alex just looked across the room.

"Nuthin." He said quietly. "I miss home." Draco marveled at Ginny's ability to illicit a reaction out of that boy. He couldn't do it if he tried, but she just had to ask one simple question. She gave him a hug.

"I know, me too. But we'll go back at Christmas, ok?"

"But that's all the way in December," he pointed out. She nodded.

"I know, but we gotta stay here. I'm sorry,"

"Where's home?" Came a sad voice from the doorway. Draco looked up to see Molly standing there, just watching the scene. Alex quickly moved out of the hug and stood up straight, and Draco moved to stand up, too. "No, no," Molly said, waving her hand at them, "Sit where you like." Draco hated being there. It was way too uncomfortable, and soon enough the males would be back, and probably for his blood.

But he sat back down. He smirked at the thought of what they would try to do if they all saw him sitting at their kitchen table...

"Thanks, Mum." Ginny said quietly. Draco took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. The kids were all there, and Weasleys liked kids, therefore...they wouldn't kill their father, right? Right. Plus, Ginny liked him. And they liked Ginny. Merlin, Mike's math skills were rubbing off on him...

"So you...you took good care of her?" Molly asked Draco quietly. Draco shifted uncomfortably. Normally he'd scoff, but...well, this was an honest question, and if he scoffed at that he'd probably get smacked - or worse, she could curse him now that they were back in the Wizarding World.

"Yes, Mum, he took good care of me," Ginny said with an amused smile. Molly wasn't as amused, she just sort of stared around and sighed, until her eyes rested on Alex.

"So you're Alex?" Molly asked the little boy quietly. He looked up to Draco for some sort of encouragement, and Draco nodded slightly. Alex turned back to his grandmother and nodded. He wasn't the most outgoing of the kids, and so he didn't say anything when the silence took over the room.

"I wonder where Hermione went," Molly said, clearing her throat and looking around.

Just then, Draco hearda few loud cracksand a few pairs of feet stomp in.

"_WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE!_" Came a voice from the door to the kitchen. Draco whirled around and stood up to see a very tall, and very angry redhead glaring at him.

"Hello, Ron." Was all Ginny said.


	7. Back Here

I'm sorry this took so long! EEK! But THANK YOU for all the reviews and love and whatnot! I LOVE IT! keep 'em coming!

Alright, so before we begin, you must repeat after me:

"Bela is a kind and good writer, and I must refrain from killing her. If I kill her, there will be no end to the story." --see? If you kill me, there wont' be an end - so you can't kill me. you just hafta wait : )

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**Chapter Six, Back Here**

_"Well I'd hope that since we're here anyway,  
That we could end up saying  
Things we've always needed to say,  
So we could end up staying.  
Now the story's played out like this,  
Just like a paperback novel,  
Let's rewrite an ending that fits,  
Instead of a Hollywood horror._

_Nothing's wrong, just as long as you know that someday I will_

_Someday, somehow I'm gonna make it all right,  
but not right now I know you're wondering when..." -'Someday', Nickelback_

Ginny had expected that from her brother. Not from any of her other brothers, or her mother, or her father, or her friends, but Ron was different from all of them.

She smiled and stood up, moving next to Draco and looking at Ron. Harry had stepped in right behind him.

"_DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER!_" He said, wand drawn as Ginny grabbed Draco's hand. She didn't retract, though. She knew how to deal with Ron. She looked up at Draco and was amazed at how calm and collected he was. It was like they'd never left - he was back to his old Malfoy Cool. And then he smirked. She was convinced he couldn't help it. If he could help it, he would. Especially now.

Ron made a beeline for him, but Ginny stepped in between them, placing her hand on his chest.

"Ron, stop it." Was all she said. She stared him in the eye, but he was literally looking over her head at Draco. She really wasn't that short by any standards, they were just tall. Completely unfair, in her opinion.

After a few moments of huffng and puffing, Ron looked down at her, examining her.

"What are you doing back here, Ginny?" He asked coldly.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. Ron just stared at her. She should've expected that.

"Damon and Emma are starting Hogwarts in the fall," Ginny explained calmly. "We came back for them." Ron glared at her.

"But not because you were worried about any of us, right?" He sneered.

"Ron," Harry urged quietly, putting a hand on his arm to try and make the redhead back off. But Ron wouldn't have any of it.

"What do you want here?" He shot, still glaring down at her.

"Calm down," Draco growled. Ron just raised his wand again,

"I am not talking to _you_. I am talking to _my sister_. So if you _don't mind_ --" Draco advanced behind Ginny,

"In fact, I do." He said viciously, but quietly.

"Stop it, both of you." Ginny said quickly. "We're here because I wanted to see you all." Ron's gaze moved back to her and she took a deep breath, trying to stay courageous.

"You should leave." He said seriously.

"Ronald!" Her mum exclaimed, "I will not have you speaking to your sister like that! She is always welcome in this home! Always!"

"But Mum!"

"Ron, I agree with your mother." Hermione said seriously. Ron took that opportunity to glare at them both. Ginny noticed that a little audience had gathered at the door - all her children, the little boy she'd met - Gideon, and who she assumed to be his twin, Fabian. They were all staring wide-eyed and scared at Ron.

"Listen here," Ginny said, catching Ron's attention. "I can understand you're upset, but I'm here, alright? And I'm not leaving anytime soon. So you're just going to have to suck it up, Ron." They stared each other down, and Ginny couldn't help but think that it was just like old times.

"I don't want _him_ in my house." Ron said seriously, glaring at Ginny.

"That's too bad." She replied. "He's not leaving." Ron's eyes flashed furiously and he stormed out. Ginny heaved a sigh of relief, and was left staring at Harry Potter.

"Hello, Ginny." He said timidly.

"Hello, Harry," she said with a smile. No one moved, no one shifted, it almost felt like no one even breathed for a few moments.

"Lemme oouut," Came Izzy's voice from the doorway. She was apparently trying to get back into the living room, but four older kids were in her way. As soon as they realized the adults' attention was fixed on them, they let her through, not wanting to get in trouble, but Ginny just smiled. Those kids were quite a handful.

Harry looked at the kids, then back at Ginny, alarmed.

"They're..." he began, but he didn't seem to be able to finish that sentence.

"Mine," she supplied.

"Merlin, Ginny, where have you been?" He asked, smiling and moving forward to give her a hug. They hugged and she smiled back at him.

"America, we lived in America." She admitted.

"And you've been there this whole time?" He asked with a sad expression. Ginny took a deep breath and nodded.

A few more cracks were heard and feet ran into the kitchen. Ginny looked over just in time to see Fred and George run in.

"Merlin!"

"We heard Draco Malfoy was in Diagon Alley yesterday,"

"But we didn't actually believe..."

"Now I owe Lee fifty galleons!" Fred said frustratedly.

"Hello, Fred, George," Ginny said with a grin. They ran over and embraced her, nearly crushing her ribcage. She giggled. "Let me go!"

"Never again."

"If we do,"

"we don't know where you'll go!" That pained her a bit. She knew it was just a joke, but it did hurt a little.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She said seriously.

"How do we know?"

"The kids...have school this fall, they're going to Hogwarts." This prompted them to jump back.

"WHAT?"

"KIDS?" Their gaze shifted to Draco and became hard and angry.

"You did WHAT -"

"To OUR SISTER?" Ginny looked back in time to see Draco cough. He didn't say anything, though. That was probably a good idea.

"Stop it, stop it. They're right in there, if you want to meet them." She said, pointing to the living room.

"I can't believe it,"

"Our own sister,"

"We're uncles!"

"And she didn't even tell us!"

"If I'm not mistaken," Ginny interjected, "you two were already uncles."

"Well, yes,"

"But not to your children!" Ginny ushered them into the living room, where Damon and Emma were sitting on the couch, silently talking, Izzy was running around, Alex was sulking on the couch, and Julia was hiding under the coffee table.

"Ah!"

"They look like him!"

"What kind of practical joke is this!"

"A bad one."

"Stop it, you two. Kids," she called. Damon, Emma and Alex looked up, Izzy froze, and Julia just giggled. "These are your Uncles Fred and George." She turned to her brothers, "these are my kids. Damon and Emma, Alex, Izzy and Julia." Ginny had never known Fred and George to feel awkward, but they looked like that's exactly how they were feeling at this moment. They exchanged a look, then turned around and stormed back into the kitchen. Ginny smiled at the kids and quickly followed them.

"Alright,"

"That's it." They said angrily.

"We want to know -"

"Where in the bloody world you two were,"

"And why you never called." Ginny gulped and moved next to Draco.

"We were --" Draco began politely.

"No." They interrupted simultaneously.

"We want to hear it from Ginny." She gripped his hand tighter and looked up at him.

"We were in America..." Their expressions stayed hard, but showed more pain.

"Why?" Fred demanded. Ginny shifted uncomfortably and looked up at Draco. He was like her rock - strong, determined, and still so collected. She wished she could feel as calm as he did at that moment, or at least as calm as he looked.

Her mum walked back into the room at that moment - Ginny hadn't even realized she was gone.

"Your father will be --" was all she could get out before another crack was heard. Arthur Weasley walked timidly into the kitchen a few moments later. All eyes were on him, examining him, watching for his reaction. His eyes moved from his wife, to Ginny, to Draco, to Fred and George, then back to Ginny before he walked decidedly forward and embraced her. She hugged him back as hard as she could and tried not to cry. Although she heard a sniff come from her shoulder, and that's all it took for her to crack. She started crying, and refused to let him go. Eventually she stopped crying, and just held her arms around him.

"I missed you, Dad," she said quietly. He kissed her head,

"We missed you, too, Ginny." She moved away from him, back next to Draco, and looked up at him. He looked completely neutral.

"You remember," she cleared her throat, unable to believe she was about to say this, "Draco Malfoy." Her dad's eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Well, you certainly haven't changed much, but...well, I didn't expect to see you of all people here." He stuck out his hand, which Draco shook. Ginny smiled sadly,

"Come in here, there are a few people I'd like you to meet," she said excitedly, grabbing her father's hand and leading him into the living room. "Kids," she called out again. They all just looked up at her. "Well, come here!" They scrambled up, except for Alex, and stood in front of their mother. "Alex, you too." He grumbled something under his breath and walked up next to Damon. She introduced the kids to their grandfather and vice versa. There were a few mumbled hello's and a few smiles, but not everyone was too excited. When she looked at her dad, though, he looked as though he were about to cry. He looked at each one of them, then back to Ginny, who couldn't help but smile.

"Mommy, when's lunch?" Izzy asked, coming up beside her. Ginny knelt down.

"I don't know, Iz, we'll have to see where we're going to eat, we might have to drive back home first." She said seriously. Izzy nodded and went back to play with Julia, making less noise than she usually did, which Ginny was grateful for.

When she walked back into the kitchen, Fred and George were nowhere to be found, and Draco was standing silently in the corner. She walked up to him.

"Everything ok?" She asked - his emotional neutrality was beginning to disconcert her. Over the years she'd become accustomed to him laughing and smiling, smirking and glaring - seldom was he dispassionate or neutral on any subject. He just looked at her and nodded. "Where'd Fred, George and Harry go?"

"Fred and George said they had to go back to their store, and who knows where Potter went." He replied.

"Draco..." she sighed, "Izzy was wondering about lunch."

"You could all stay here," Her mum suggested hopefully.

"I wouldn't want to make you make lunch for all of us on such short notice..." Ginny said smiling, but shaking her head.

"Nonsense! I made lunch for nine for some years!" Without even waiting for a response, she began to make lunches for everyone.

Alex walked out of the living room quietly and over to Ginny's side.

"Mom, when's lunch?" He asked.

"It should be ready in about a half hour!" Mrs. Weasley said. Alex looked at her, then back to his mother.

"Can we have chicken noodle soup?" He asked hopefully. This made the older woman turn around, confused. Ginny stifled a laugh, and Draco smirked.

"In June?" Mrs. Weasley asked, confused. Alex just looked at her.

"Yes, in June." Draco replied, almost affronted. Ginny couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't worry, Mum, we'll eat whatever you provide. It's just...never question a Malfoy's chicken noodle soup." She burst into giggles and covered her mouth. From behind her, she could hear Draco clear his throat. "I'm sorry," she giggled, "but for someone who doesn't know the story...it just sounds so ridiculous..." She finally caught her breath and turned around to face him. He had an amused and challenging look on his face. "I'm sorry," she repeated, "But really. It's just so random."

"I'm sorry, are we missing something?" Mr. Weasley said with a smile.

"Always, Dad." Ginny smirked.

"I could make some chicken noodle soup, if that's what the kids will eat," Mrs. Weasley suggested.

"Oh, the kids'll eat it," Ginny assured her, "it's been a long few days." She sat back down at the table, across from her father.

"Even though it's the middle of the summer?" Mr. Weasley questioned. Ginny nodded,

"When Draco was a kid," she heard him audibly sigh, but decided to ignore it, "whenever things got bad, or he got sick, his mum made him chicken noodle soup. It was the only thing she ever made herself, instead of the house elves. So now, whenever things get bad, or someone gets sick, he makes chicken noodle soup. Throws a right fit if he doesn't get it." She finished.

"Now, that's not quite fair." Draco said, trying to interrupt her.

"I think that's exactly fair." She smiled, turning to face him for just a moment. She turned around to see her mum shrug and get out some carrots. "We probably shouldn't stay too long after, though, with the kids still getting used to the house and all."

Mrs. Weasley wandered off to find Hermione and see if Harry or Ron would be joining them for lunch. Ginny talked with her dad about the goings-on of the Ministry, his job and other miscellaneous things. The kids seemed to stay quiet in the other room, happy at the news that chicken noodle soup would be part of lunch.

Turns out that Harry did decide to join them for lunch, which made for an utterly awkward affair. Ginny couldn't understand why, but Draco still harbored resentment towards him - she'd have to have a word with him about that. The kids were content with soup and sandwiches, and the adults tried to focus on their food as opposed to the awkward silence in the room.

"So, Harry...what are you doing these days?" Ginny asked conversationally.

"Ron and I are Aurors." He answered shortly. "Working at the Ministry."

"Any wife, children?" Harry winced, visibly, and Ginny felt bad. Must be a touchy subject.

"No."

"Really?" She asked, surprised. He just went back to eating. After lunch ended, Harry was about to get up to leave when Ron stormed back in.

"Look!" He began angrily, wand drawn and pointing at Draco's chest, "I don't know who you think you are, but you'd do best to leave my family alone!"

"Ron! What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Ginny exclaimed, prying her way between the two angry boys.

"It's ok, Red." Draco said seriously, "I should --"

"_What did you call her!_" He demanded. Ginny ignored her brother and turned to Draco.

"Maybe you should take the kids back to the house, I'll deal with him." Draco eyed her cautiously,

"He's no problem." Draco scoffed.

"He is if he kills you." Ginny said dryly. "Just...I'll be back later, alright?"

"Do think about coming back for dinner!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed hopefully. Draco surveyed the situation, but moved into the other room. Although, on his way there, he did stop right in front of Ron just to glare at him. Once he was gone, though, Ron went off.

"What were you thinking? He could've killed you! Leaving for a decade? How could you? Why would you? He must have you under one powerful spell...else you're just really dense..."

"Do not talk to her like that." Draco hissed viciously from the doorway.

"What are you still doing here?" Ron spat. Draco walked quickly up to him and stared him down.

"Do not. Speak to her like that." He repeated.

"Oh, what? Now you're a hero?" Ron shot.

"Draco, just go. I'll deal with him, you just take the kids." Draco's glare stayed on Ron for a moment, then it moved to Ginny, until finally he stormed out. He picked up Julia and carried her out, Izzy, Alex and Damon in tow. Emma just stood there for a minute, looking at Ron with unmasked dislike.

"I don't like you." She said matter-of-factly. It was then that Damon realized she wasn't next to him, and he grabbed the sleeve of her robe and pulled her out.

Ron stared at the door for a few minutes, astonished and frozen.

"Who..." he began, but trailed off.

"Those were the children I tried to tell you about. That was Emma, she and Damon the oldest."

"Children?"

"My children." She clarified. "The ones you just scared half to death by trying to kill their father."

"He's..."

"Their father."

"But..."

"Ron, I can't finish your sentences for you forever, spit it out." His gaze turned back to her and hardened.

"Alright. He could've killed you." He said harshly, "What were you thinking?" Ginny scoffed,

"Draco would never hurt me."

"You don't know him!" Ron cried.

"You're joking, right?" She said confusedly, "I've spent half of my life living with him. He's the father of my children. I love him. I think I know him."

"You don't love him!" Ron cried, aghast.

"I hate to break it to you, Ron," she really didn't, but she figured she'd say that anyway. "Really, be reasonable." She heard Harry nearly snort in the background, but he turned it, quite convincingly, into a hacking cough.

"Why did you leave, Ginny?" He asked, showing the hurt on his face and in his posture. She deflated, too, crossing her arms over her chest, and sitting back down at the table.

"I just...I had to...I'm sorry..." she said quietly.

"I don't think this is a good topic to discuss right now," Mrs. Weasley sniffed, still clearing things away from lunch.

"Mum, I need to know why she didn't even say goodbye."

"I tried, it was just...so hard. And it all happened so quickly..." Ginny spent the entire afternoon talking to her family about the events leading up to her departure, everything that had happened and how chaotic things had been. She didn't cry at all, but she did feel incredibly bad. Her mother cried a lot. Her father even sniffed a bit. Ron masked his hurt with anger so well, Ginny was pretty sure he'd sooner implode than cry.

Sooner than she expected, it was dinnertime, and Mrs. Weasley flooed Ginny's new house to invite them back. After a little prodding from Ginny, Draco reluctantly relented. A little while later they were back, and Ginny could hear the trouble coming from a mile away.

All through dinner, Emma glared at Ron, who shifted uncomfortably every time he caught her gaze. Every time Damon realized what was going on he elbowed his sister, which made for a very interesting hour. Alex sat quietly, observing the whole situation, while Harry tried to make polite conversation. Every once in awhile Ron would interject.

"So, Draco...I hear you cook." Harry said conversationally. Draco, as per Ginny's request, was just as polite.

"Surprised he never blew the place up." Ron muttered.

"Aw, c'mon," Draco said mockingly, "I'm smarter than that and you know it." Ginny couldn't help but burst into giggles.

"Don't be a prat," she warned through her laughter.

"Ginevra!" Her mother exclaimed, appalled. "There are children in the room!"

"What?" Emma asked, completely alert, "What'd she do? What'd she say wrong?"

"Your mother knows what she said." Mrs. Weasley answered shortly.

"What? You mean 'prat'? Mom calls Dad a prat all the time! It's a bad word? Oooo,_ Moommm_, Aunt Mia's gonna_ yell at you_ when she finds out..."

"Aunt Mia?" Mrs. Weasley asked, suddenly distracted from Ginny's language.

"Mia's my best friend, she owns the diner we worked in. Actually the reason we stayed there."

"Reason we didn't starve." Draco muttered.

"That, too." Ginny said, nodding. Ginny told her family about Mia and Mike, and couldn't help but notice how hurt they all looked. So she cut the description and conversation short, changing the subject as quickly as she could.

The rest of the dinner went by more awkwardly than it had begun, making the kids even more fidgity than before. Somehow, the awkwardness affected Ron in the same way. He kept glaring at Draco, Emma kept glaring at him, Damon kept rolling his eyes at her, and Alex kept watching him. It was a crazy chain, quite amusing to watch. It heartened Ginny to know Alex looked up to his older brother like that, made her realize how lucky he was to have Damon there - he needed someone. He was just so different from Draco...

Ginny's thoughts were interrupted by Ron slamming down his fork and storming out.

"I don't like him." Emma announced. Damon elbowed her and Draco reprimanded her, but that rarely did anything to change Emma Malfoy's attitude.

Ginny and Draco decided it would be a good idea to leave as soon as possible, so after dinner and a long exchange of hugs and tears, they left.

The night went by quickly - unpacking, moving, adjusting and general mayhem in the house. By the time Ginny and Draco got to bed they practically collapsed.

"I can't believe it's been so long...they all look so different..." Ginny said, amazed.

"Look at us, Red. We're not exactly seventeen anymore either." Ginny looked at the two of them, and it was true. They had grown older. Draco was still lean and tall, but he was more muscular now. His hair was about the same, though, still cut like it had been so many years ago. Surprisingly enough, pregnancy had been kind to Ginny - not to mention how hard she'd worked to lose the extra weight afterwards.

"Well, yeah, but we don't look that different..." She found herself just snuggling into her pillow and leaning into him. "It's been a long time." He just smiled and nodded, and they both nodded off to sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, the kids were running around the house when Ginny heard a knock at the door. She opened it to see Ron and Harry standing there. Harry didn't look pleased, but Ron looked downright amused in a dark and twisted way.

"We need to talk to Draco." Harry said seriously. Ginny called him down, and ordered the kids back to their rooms, inviting Harry and Ron inside.

"Ginny, it's probably best if we stay out here." Harry said. Draco came up behind Ginny and asked about the fuss. "Draco Malfoy, if you could please step out onto the porch." Harry continued in an official tone. Ginny held one hand on the door and the other on the doorframe, making sure no one could get out or in without going through her. But after a few moments, during which she was staring at Harry completely confused, Draco put a hand on her arm.

"I want you to call Mike..." he said gently. Ginny let her arms fall as she turned to face him. He opened the door a little wider and stepped out between Harry and Ron. "Tell him to look in the junk drawer."

"No, wait," Ginny began, confused, "What's going on?"

"What's going on?" Came a curious voice from behind them.

"**Emma**, go upstairs, _right now_." Draco commanded. The little girl jumped at his forcefulness and ran back upstairs.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry began again, giving Ron a pleading glance. But Ron was stiff and determined, and cast a spell, binding Draco's hands behind his back. "You're under arrest for the murders of Eric Munch, Mafalda Hopkirk and Kenneth Towler. You will be tried before the Wizengamot for your crimes in five days' time. Until then, you will be held at Azkaban for the safety of the Wizarding World." Ginny's heart stopped beating for a moment while it fell to her feet.

"That's ridiculous," she laughed breathlessly. "Draco, tell them you didn't do it."

"Red, call Mike. Then I need you to find me a woman named Stefanie Rousseau, she'll probably be somewhere in France --"

"_No_. Not until you _tell them_ you _didn't do it_." Ginny said forcefully, a tear threatening to slip down her cheek.

"Just call Mike...as soon as you can. Now, even..."

"Not until you _tell them_." She repeated, with less force than she wanted. "Draco," she said pleadingly, "Tell them!"

"Red...I can't." And with that, Ron and Harry dragged him off. Ginny watched them walk down the pathway and apparate away.

As soon as they were out of sight she collapsed on the porch. She stared into the empty space until she wrapped her mind around the fact that he wasn't there anymore...she began to sob uncontrollably into her knees as she pulled them up to her chest, like she used to do as a little girl...


	8. Bad Things

hiya :) lovely day, innit? Lovely day for an update, methinks...**

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**Chapter Seven, Bad Things**

_"Let me be the one you call,  
If you jump, I'll break your fall,  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night.  
If you need to fall apart,  
I can mend a broken heart.  
If you need to crash,  
Then crash and burn,  
You're not alone." -'Crash and Burn', Savage Garden_

Mia was sitting at the counter sulking when the phone rang. The past few days had been harder than she'd expected. Without Ginny and Draco there, not only did she not get a physical break, no one was there to hang out with her and make her laugh, or vice versa. Mike was around here and there, but that was a bit different.

"Good Morning, Harrison's Diner, this is Mia. How can I help you?"

"I need to talk to Mike," said a breathless and broken voice from the other end. "Please, Mia, now." It cried.

"Who is this?" She asked curiously. She heard a sob come from the other end.

"It's Ginny, please, I need to talk to Mike." Mia's heart stopped. Ginny never cried. Like..._never_. Mia could only remember two or three specific instances when Ginny actually shed a tear. But she was definitely sobbing on the other end.

"Gin, what happened?" She asked, alarmed. More sobs,

"I don't know...Draco...arrested...Azkaban...kids...Mike... Rousseau... Mia I just don't know!" She cried.

"Alright, alright, calm down, Gin. It's ok, I'm sure whatever it is, it'll be ok. Just breathe for a second, get a glass of water or something."

"Mia, I could barely get here, I can't hold a glass...how am I supposed to tell the kids? What am I supposed to tell them? Merlin, that stupid prat!" Mia wasn't really sure what she was talking about, because she'd only gotten bits and pieces of the answer herself, but she wasn't about to make Ginny go through it again.

"Alright then, just stop for a sec, ok? Breathe. Now, Mike's not here --" Just at that moment, Mike strolled in. Mia saw him and waved her arms wildly, trying to get him to come over as quickly as possible. Pretty quickly his amused smile turned into a look of alarm when he realized how upset she looked. "Speak of the devil, Gin, hold on one second." Mia put her hand over the receiver, "Were you expecting a call from Gin?" Mike looked at her, confused.

"Well...Draco did mention something about...they might need help," he said tentatively.

"She's in hysterics. Something about Draco, something about you, something about...words I don't know." Mia said, shaking her head, "here, you try and talk to her." Mia handed over the phone, and from then on only heard half the conversation.

"Hey, Gin...yeah...what? ... they _what_? ...he **WHAT**? ... you've _got_ to be kidding... _WHAT_? Alright...no, alright, alright...no, calm down...Gin, just listen to me...yes, that's what I said! _Listen_ to me! ...Gin, _breathe_...calm down...we'll...figure something out, find this Rousseau lady - wizards know how to Google, right? I'll be there as soon as I can...well, I can't exactly walk through a fire like you did...yeah, probably a plane...I know, but it's the quickest I've got, they shut down the Concord...Gin, I'm sorry...the junk drawer? Are you sure? ...put Damon on the phone. ...you what? ...no, put Damon on." There was an elongated pause in the conversation, and Mike looked at his mom, frightened. He jerked in just a moment, though, and went back to his conversation.

"Damon? Hey, it's your Uncle Mike...yep. Well, see, your dad asked me a favor...yeah...we're gonna come see you guys...your mom needs some time alone...right...can you take Alex and Izzy and Julia outside for awhile? ...Right...you know the rules, right? ...Tell Emma...make sure - I know you know, I just need to remind you...tell Emma, too. And don't -- ...right. I mean it, though, buddy, alright? No one. Only your mom, Aunt Mia, or me. ...yes, I'm serious...alright...we'll be there soon. Alright, tell your mom I said bye...yeah...bye." Mike handed Mia the phone back and she hung it up. She looked at him and waited for the details, but he sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Well?" She prodded impatiently.

"They arrested Draco." He said flatly through his hands.

"They _what?_ Why?" Mia exclaimed. Mike rubbed his hands across his short brown hair. He looked up at his mother with sad eyes.

"Apparently he murdered three people." Mia smiled. She even laughed a little. That was a problem she had, whenever something really bad happened to someone, she couldn't help but smile...it was like a defect.

"That's ridiculous," she said quietly.

"Mom, this is so far _beyond_ not funny..." Mike said seriously. She cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry...but really, that's ridiculous. How could they think that?" She asked, wiping her face of the smile.

"I don't know, but Ginny needs me there, so...Draco said something to her about the junk drawer..." Mike made his way around Mia and to the junk drawer. She couldn't understand why Draco would say to go in there - they rarely did. They just shoved stuff in, stuff rarely came out.

When Mike opened the drawer, though, there was an envelope lying on top that Mia didn't recognize. Well, it was an envelope and she recognized it as an envelope, but she hadn't seen it in there before.

Mike opened it and took out a letter, and out fell two plane tickets.

"That dumba--"

"What's it say?" Mia interrupted.

"That he gave them three days to catch him, and if, after three days they haven't caught him, he figures they don't know. And if I'm reading this, it means they need us there...or one of us finally got around to cleaning out the junk drawer." Mike grinned at the last line. Mia looked at the plane tickets, and sure enough, they were for tonight.

"He bought these? Where did he find that kind of money to just waste?" Mia said, amazed.

"Well, Gin did say he was rich."

"Was - past tense - _was_ rich. As in, not anymore cause he cooked for a diner for twelve years..." Mia chuckled.

Mia didn't know what to do. She told the regulars there that there was some trouble with Gin and Draco, and she had to close down for awhile, but that she'd be back in a week or two - she hoped.

She put a sign on the door, kicked everyone out, packed, and boarded the plane. And the next thing she knew, she and Mike were landing in London.

"You ever been here?" Mike asked, leaning over her to see out the window. She just shook her head. "You know where to go?"

"Not a clue." She said seriously. When they got off, though, they saw almost the whole gang waiting for them.

"Hey guys!" Mia cried, as Izzy ran into her arms. Hugs were exchanged, greetings said, and eventually they made their way out to the car. The squeeze was tight, but Ginny had enchanted it to be bigger on the inside than it looked, so everyone fit.

When they finally got back to Ginny's new house, Mia stood outside and marveled at it.

"And...everyone has their own bedrooms?" Mia marveled. Ginny just nodded, not saying a word. "How did you get this place?"

"An old friend of Draco's," Ginny cleared her throat, "owns a real estate company...very expensive stuff..."

"And he just gave you a house when you asked for it?" Mia asked, not comprehending how this worked. Ginny smiled bitterly,

"You'd be surprised what the Malfoy name does around these parts, even though the War's over...Merlin, Mia, how could he do this?"

"Alright, kids - who wants food?" Mike announced, ushering the kids inside. The two girls stayed outside and sat on the step.

"How...how could he _do_ this? He said...he's not a murderer, Mia...I don't understand what's going on...Merlin, I feel like I'm sixteen again..." Ginny trailed off.

"Of course he's not a murderer," Mia assured her, "He's Draco, for crying out loud. There's gotta be a mistake --"

"I don't think there is, though." Ginny interrupted dispassionately. "The look on his face...you should have seen the look on his face...it was like he'd been waiting for this. Like he knew it was going to happen..."

"He did." Came a voice from behind them. They looked up to see Mike standing there.

"Kids?" Ginny inquired.

"In the kitchen, having a bedtime snack." Mike answered. "Anyway, before you guys left, he pulled me aside to make sure I'd be willing to come at a moment's notice, and then in the letter, he mentioned them catching him."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Well, really...how do you tell someone something like that? It's not exactly dinner conversation." Mia pointed out. Ginny sighed, and Mia put her arm around her friend, holding her close.

"It's ok, he won't be in there for long, right? I don't know what the system is like around here - bail? Bonds? Parole? Manslaughter? Hung jury? Jack McCoy wouldn't let Draco go to jail." Mia pointed out, matter-of-factly.

"Maybe, but Arthur would. Crazy politicians." Mike said frustratedly. Ginny laughed bitterly,

"You two watch entirely too much television."

"Only _Law & Order_," Mia said defensively.

"Yes, and you watch entirely too much of it," Ginny said, actually smiling a bit. Mia felt triumphant at that point, but remembered why she'd brought up _Law & Order_ in the first place.

"So what's it like around here? Should we go visit him in jail or something tomorrow?" Mia asked, but Ginny shook her head.

"No, you shouldn't go visit him at all, and I dout they'll let him out before the trial, or during, or after. Or ever." Ginny sighed heavily, and Mia watched her intently. "The prison here...it's different. The creatures that guard it --"

"Creatures?" Mia squeaked.

"Yeah...dementors...you won't be able to see them, but they suck the happiness out of their environment...make people only remember the worst times in their life. Drives most of the prisoners crazy, so they won't escape...And I certainly can't take children there...not only would they not be able to stand it, they already had a heart attack with the goblins..." Ginny explained hopelessly.

"Goblins? God..." Mia whispered. Mike sat down next to them, and said the kids were just about ready for bed. Ginny took a deep breath, got up, and left them there. Mia just shook her head as she watched Ginny walk inside.

Mia sat with her son in silence, trying to wrap her head around everything that was going on. She had tried to seem collected, for Ginny's sake, but she really didn't have much of a clue.

She saw someone walking up the path, toward the house. A tall, thin man with brown hair, who was wearing a cloak like the one Draco had worn when they left. Mia stood up to meet him, and Mike followed her lead.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely. The man just eyed her curiously.

"I'm here to talk to Ginny Weasley..." he said tentatively. "Is she here?"

"I'm sorry...she can't talk right now. Maybe if you call her tomorrow. Well...maybe if you just wait awhile." Mia suggested.

"Who are you?" The man asked suspiciously.

"Who are _you_?" Mike shot back.

"Michael, stop it." Mia chided. "Mia, Michael." She said, gesturing to herself and then her son. "And you are?"

"Harry, an old friend of Ginny's."

"Not Harry Potter?" Mike said with a small smile.

"You've heard of me? I thought you guys were Muggles." He said confusedly.

"We are," Mike assured him, "but they were talking about you last week. Doesn't seem like Draco likes you much." Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Draco Malfoy doesn't like _anyone_ much." He said dryly.

"He likes us." Mike pointed out.

"Doubtful...look, can I please just talk to Ginny?"

"She's really not in the mood to talk to anybody tonight, Harry." Mia said gently. "Draco's in some trouble and she's pretty upset."

"I know, I was the one who arrested him." Harry said, agitated.

"You did _what_?" Mike demanded, lunging at Harry. But Mia was ready for that one, and held him back.

"You did what?" She repeated quietly, as soon as Mike calmed down.

"Ron and I arrested him." Harry replied.

"Ron? Who's Ron?" Mia asked.

"Ginny's never mentioned Ron?" Harry asked, appalled. Mia looked at Mike, who shrugged.

"Nope, sorry. Who is he? An old boyfriend or something?" Mia asked. Harry looked at her like she was crazy.

"Ron's her brother, _I'm_ her old boyfriend." He said slowly.

"Gin has a brother?" Mike asked, confused.

"She had _six_ of them."

"_Six_ brothers?" Mia repeated, "Seriously? She's been holding out on us!" She said amusedly. "_Six_ brothers, jeez..."

"Well, now there are only five, but..."

"Five? Why?" Mia prodded.

"You have some nerve, Harry Potter." Ginny's voice came from behind them, vicious and low. She moved up between Mia and Mike and stared at him. "How dare you come back here. What do you think you're doing?"

"Ginny, I just wanted to talk to you, tell you --"

"I don't want to _see_ you, let alone _speak_ to you. How could you! I thought you were my friend!" She exploded.

"Ginny, I am, but --"

"Not even telling me!"

"Hey, now that was Malfoy's fault."

"His name is Draco." She hissed. He froze.

"It was for everyone's safety. There was an outstanding warrant for his arrest, we had to do it." He tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear that!" Ginny yelled. "There are five children upstairs that are now without a father because of your stupid little revenge schemes!"

"_My_? _My_ revenge? Ginny! I didn't want to do this! Ron was the one --"

"Don't even get me STARTED on _that_ stupid git! I don't ever want to see him around here, you make sure he knows that! Merlin, Harry, what am I supposed to do now? Hm?" She said, turning back around indecisively. "I don't know what to do. How could you do this?"

"Ginny, _listen_ to yourself! He_murdered three people!_Doesn't that make any sense to you? He's dangerous! He's a bad guy!"

"Hey!" Mike interrupted, taking another aggressivestep forward, "Magic or not, you better watch it. Draco isn't a bad guy, and he's not dangerous. I don't know what planet you live on or come from, but that guy couldn't hurt a person if he tried."

"You obviously don't know him that well, then," Harry said quietly. "He's got a bad temper, and he killed those Ministry workers. He almost killed Dumbledore, too. He's not to be trusted."

"I said _watch it._" Mike growled.

"_Almost_ killed who?" Mia interjected, her hand on Ginny's arm comfortingly.

"Dumbledore, the old headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Right, whatever - but you said 'almost'. Meaning he didn't." Mia pointed out.

"Well, no, but...he was there..."

"And yet here you are, proclaiming your own innocence in his arrest. But you were _there_, right?"

"I'm not _proclaiming my innocence_," Harry said uncomfortably, blushing.

"Then what are you trying to do? Justify it?" She shot.

"I don't know who you two are," he said, a bt more confidently, "But Draco Malfoy is dangerous. He's a murderer and he's going to Azkaban for a very long time."

"Stop it! Just shut up!" Ginny screamed, beginning to cry again. Mia couldn't help but feel completely uncomfortable seeing Ginny so...not in control. "Just shut up and go away!" Ginny yelled.

"Mike, take her inside, I'm going to have a chat with Harry, here." Mia said quietly. Mike glared at Harry for a moment, but eventually complied. Once they were out of sight, Mia advanced on Harry.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but I have spent almost every day of the last twelve years with those two. I was there when their kids were born, for all the birthdays, for all the late nights and for all the hard decisions they had to make. You obviously don't know Draco that well, because he is a good man, a good father, and a good friend. Yeah, he can be a jerk at times, but he would _never_ kill someone. So whoever it is who gave you that little piece of information is either lying, or there were some serious situational factors."

"I went to school with Draco for seven years," Harry began, "and he did nothing - and I mean _nothing_ - but try and make my life as miserable as possible. He taunted and tormented all of my friends. He terrified everyone younger than him. He's a mean person. I don't know what kind of facade he's put up these past years, but I'm telling you - that's all it is, a facade. He's a murderer."

"I swear to God. If you say that one more time..." Mia took a deep breath and collected herself. "Why would you do this?" She asked sadly. "You, and her brother, of all people? Why would you try and make her life more difficult? Do you know how hard it was convincing those two to come back? Convincing them that it was best for Damon and Emma? Actually getting them back here? Do you care about her at all?"

"Of course I do," Harry said sadly, "that's why I'm here."

"I hate to break it to you, but your presence is counter-productive." She stated.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You here is just shoving the whole thing in her face. She wanted to do what's best for Damon and Emma, and now Draco's in jail. I think you should leave." She finished forcefully.

"What? But...she was...at school...we were..." he stuttered.

"She's almost thirty years old. She's not a teenager anymore - she's not in school anymore. You. Should. Leave. If Michael finds you out here when he comes back, I can't say I know what he'll do." Harry just looked at her in amusement.

"I'm a wizard, and I'm older than he is." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, yes. But you also arrested his best friend and father figure this morning. Draco's been there for him almost as long as he can remember, and in any situation, passion is a large factor that helps determine the outcome." Something she said seemed to strike a chord with Harry, because his expression changed and he sighed.

"Alright, fine. Just tell Ginny that I'm sorry."

"Will do." She promised. She watched him turn reluctantly and walk away, shoulders slumped in defeat.

Mia took a second to gather herself before she walked into the house to find Ginny. She found them sitting at the kitchen table, as very little else had been unpacked or bought yet.

"Is he gone?" Ginny asked flatly.

"He's gone." Mia confirmed, taking a seat. "Well...this is a nice house," she commented offhandedly.

"Blaise!" Ginny said, lighting up. It seemed whatever she said had flipped a switch in Ginny's head.

"What?" Mia asked.

"Blaise would know how to find her!" She said, almost excitedly.

"Who?"

"Stefanie Rousseau." Ginny clarified. Although it didn't really help much.

"Who's that?" Mia asked. Ginny stopped for a moment and furrowed her brow in thought.

"You know...I'm not sure...but Draco said to contact her, so..." she shrugged and went out to the fire. She lit it and threw in the powder they'd seen the day they left for England, and the flames turned bright green. But instead of stepping into the fire, Ginny knelt down and just stuck her head in. This confused Mia to no end, and she couldn't help but watch. She exchanged a few confused looks with Michael, who seemed to be just as lost as she was.

Mia decided she needed a glass of water instead, though, so she left the scene for a moment and just took a deep breath, getting a glass of water and trying to figure out what they would do if Draco didn't get out of jail soon. Drag Ginny back to New Jersey. The kids could still go to the school and all, but Mia didn't want Ginny anywhere near people who were that awful to Draco. Maybe they were right, maybe she didn't understand what kind of a kid he'd been, but she did know what kind of a man he'd grown up to be, what kind of a father. And that was much more important.

When she came back she found Ginny sitting at the kitchen table again, looking more unhappy than before.

"What happened?" Mia asked concernedly.

"Blaise won't help." Ginny said hopelessly.

"What? He'll find you a house but not a person? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"He won't help a suspected Death Eater." Ginny said quietly, rubbing her forehead. When she realized neither Mia nor Mike knew what she was talking about, she rephrased. "He won't help because Draco's in trouble."

"What the heck is a Death Eater?" Mike asked, trying not to laugh at the name. "Sounds pretty silly, if you ask me."

"Yeah, well, they weren't silly." Ginny said a little too aggressively. "They were terrorists, to put it in perspective. They ran around killing wizards, Muggles, Squibs. They terrorized everyone, killed anyone - men, women, children, with little exception. They were branded with a skull on their left forearm. They were murderers." Ginny spat, flushing a bit. Mia quickly got her a glass of water.

"And...Draco was one of them?" Mia asked quietly. Ginny nodded reluctantly.

"He didn't kill anyone, though...I mean...I don't know...I've been trying to figure out all day when those people were killed...when we first started talking, that was his whole problem, was that he couldn't kill anyone. He...he couldn't believe in that." Ginny just shook her head, and Mia felt awful for her. She couldn't imagine going through what Ginny was.

"Mommy, I can't sleep," came a small voice from the doorway. Ginny moved to get up, but Mia beat her to the punch. Picking Izzy up and walking out with her, Mia felt that whatever she could do to help would be appreciated.

"C'mon, let's go sit up in your room, ok?" Mia said softly. She'd always wanted a little girl, and ever since Emma and Izzy, and even Julia were born, she'd been living vicariously through Ginny. Even stealing some of her moments if she could. Like now, putting Izzy back to bed.

They went into Izzy's relatively empty room and sat on a rocking chair, just rocking back and forth, holding Izzy in her lap.

"I love you," Izzy whispered tiredly. Mia smiled, and nearly cried.

"I love you, too, sweetie." She replied. She couldn't understand what sort of person could look at this little girl, and not think her parents were fantastic people.

"Aunt Mia?" She whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Yeah?"

"Where'd Daddy go?" That small, innocent question just broke her heart in two.

"Your dad had to go away for a little bit," she didn't know what else to say.

"When's he coming back?" She asked innocently.

"Soon, I hope."

"Oh..." she sighed, "I miss him." Mia stroked the girl's hair and rocked her back and forth, hoping that she would fall asleep before Mia broke into tears.

"Me too, sweetie, me too..." After a few minutes of silence, Izzy seemed unresponsive. So Mia stood up and gently put her back into her bed. She stood at the door and watched the beautiful little girl sleep before leaving the room and marching back downstairs with newfound confidence.

"Call Blaise back." Mia ordered. "There's got to be some sort of Yellow Pages we don't know about. Google, or something for this crazy place."

"Mia," Ginny sighed, "there's nothing."

"I won't accept that. Call him back and make him help."

"No one wants to be associated with a Death Eater, Mia."

"Draco's not like that and you know it. Call him back and make him at least give you a phone number." Mia commanded, but Ginny hesitated. "Gin, really. This is not the time to hesitate - what would Draco do?" Mike couldn't help but laugh at the parody, knowing where Mia had gotten that. Mia couldn't help but let a chuckle slip, which in turn made Mike laugh harder, and soon enough everyone was at least smiling.

Ginny went back to thr fire with more confidence, came back a few minutes later and wrote a number down on a piece of paper.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." Ginny said, satisfied. She stared at the piece of paper, and her face began to fall. They heard a cry come from upstairs, but before Ginny could move, Mike was on it, and had gone to take care of it. Ginny smiled and shook her head. "You two are too good to me." She smiled softly. A few seconds later, though, her smile fell. "It's just so hard to smile when I know he's rotting in there, reliving everything bad that's ever happened to him. All his worst memories...with no one there." She shook her head, and Mia sat down next to her.

"I know, Gin, we miss him, too. You have no idea how weird the diner is without you guys." she smiled in spite of herself, and rubbed Ginny's arm comfortingly. Ginny rubbed her own forehead and sighed.

"When does it end, Mia? Really...I thought...when we left...we left this all _behind_, this whole world. And it wasn't easy, but we _did_ it, we _survived_. I thought coming back here would...I dunno...be good for the kids, good for us, for my family, for everything. It just...no one can ever let anything _be_. They can't just...ugh, _let it be_." Ginny said, frustrated.

"Whisper words of wisdom," Mia sang, "Let it be..." She got a less than amused look from Ginny, though, so she stopped and changed tactcs. "C'mon, you know how the story goes, Gin. The heroes don't ever get a moment's rest until the end, when the story's _over_. Val Jean's salvation doesn't happen until he's _dead_. Gin, if everything's coming your way - you're going the wrong way." She rambled incessantly. She had so many examples, and she couldn't help but keep going. "Holden Caulfield - the only reason he gets to rest is cause they throw him in a mental institution. Dorothy's not ok until she's gone from Oz. Heck, Prometheus in Anthem is only ok once he's completely aliented himself and Gaea from all of society. Even in _Toy Story_ things don't end up ok - Andy gets a puppy. _The Incredibles_ - at the end, they're getting ready to fight someone new --"

"Mia! Alright! I _get_ it, I'm not alone." Ginny interrupted with a smirk. "You could've gone on forever, couldn't you?" Mia just giggled,

"I probably would've if you hadn't stopped me," she admitted sheepishly.

"Probably would've what?" Mike asked, coming back in.

"Your mother and I were just talking, and she started on one of her rambles again."

"Uh oh," Mike said jokingly, "what'd you start her on this time?"

"It was nothing," Mia said sheepishly. "I was just trying to point out that if bad things aren't happening, you're either dead or not paying attention."


	9. Stefanie Rousseau

Hiya! I'm back again with another update. I'm having trouble writing again, and awesome substantial reviews and feedback usually inspire me a lot. So...tomorrow's my first day back to school - new term, ugh. so inspire me! And you'll get another chapter quick, haha. I really like feedback!

bela

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**Chapter Eight, Stefanie Rousseau**

_"My own little world is what I deserve,  
Cause I am the only child there is.  
I'm king of it all,  
the belle of the ball -  
I promise I've always been like this." -'Center of Attention', Guster_

Ginny woke up the next morning feeling anything but rested. She had no idea what to do, who to call, what to say, or where to turn. Her room felt empty and she didn't how to fix it. Reluctantly, she got up and went downstairs to make the kids' breakfast.

Breakfast went quietly. Ginny tried to smile for the sake of the kids, but found it difficult. Mia was a huge help, as usual, and Ginny couldn't help but stare at Stefanie Rousseau's number and wonder.

Mike decided to take the kids out to the playground down the street for the morning, and so Mia and Ginny were left to clean up breakfast.

After another cup of coffee and a long silence, Ginny showed Mia the piece of paper, and told her her plan - which, at the moment, was just cold calling the woman.

"That's a bad plan." Mia replied. "Do you even know what you're going to say to her?" Ginny shook her head.

"I don't even know who she is. I suppose I'll just tell her that Draco told me to contact her, and...oh, I don't know." Ginny sighed as she stood up and made her way over to the phone. "Might as well do it now." She dialed the number and waited a few minutes.

"Hello?" Ginny heard a woman's voice on the other end.

"Hi," she said timidly, "I'm looking for Stefanie Rousseau?"

"You've found her...who is this?" the woman said.

"My name's Ginny Weasley...Draco Malfoy told me to call you?" Even though that was the truth, she said it as a question, hoping the woman would know better what was going on. There was a silence on the other end for a minute - the longest minute of Ginny's life. She looked over at Mia, who gave her a questioning look. Ginny just shrugged.

"Well...it's been a long time since I heard THAT name." Stefanie said with a chuckle. "So, Ginny Weasley, how do you know Draco?" Ginny sighed and smiled at the kind tone.

"I'm his wife," she said happily.

"_WHAT_? THAT --" Stefanie screamed so loud she made Ginny drop the phone. It twirled on the end of the cord as Ginny caught her breath and picked it back up. As soon as she heard the tirade was over, she put the phone back to her ear.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said timidly, "What?"

"Since _WHEN_!" Stefanie yelled. Ginny couldn't understand why she was so upset, couldn't understand what the big deal was, or why this woman cared so much.

"For about twelve years, why?"

"_TWELVE_ --" Ginny pulled the phone away from her ear again. Mia was practically in hysterics, as she could hear Stefanie screaming from over at the table. Neither of the two could make out the words, but Stefanie Rousseau was screaming her head off.

Once the noise died down again, Ginny put the phone back up to her ear.

"I'm sorry...is there a problem?" Ginny asked, getting a bit annoyed at the constant outbursts.

"_Yes!_ There is! I'll tell you what the problem is! That...stupid, _stupid_ boy _eloped_ and _DIDN'T TELL_ _ME!_ _Can you believe it!_ And I used to call him my favorite cousin! Psh! If he can't even tell me when he's getting MARRIED, then I suppose that makes TONKS my new favorite cousin!" Stefanie yelled. Ginny heaved a sigh, finally figuring out how she and Draco knew each other, and mouthed 'cousins' to Mia, who nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry - it's not that he didn't tell you - he didn't tell anyone." Ginny explained, "we weren't exactly...around."

"That's ridiculous! He should've sent me an owl! Called! Emailed! Faxed! Apparated! _FLOWN_ OVER TO TELL ME!"

"Listen," Ginny said impatiently, not wanting to go through the whole story with Stefanie. "Draco's in trouble, and he told me to call you, but I don't know why." Ginny got a little offended when Stefanie started to laugh - hard. "What's so funny?" She asked indignantly.

"That stupid brat is always in trouble, haven't you noticed that yet? Hasn't called me in years, didn't tell me he was married, and now I have to come bail his stupid arse out of jail." Stefanie sighed dramatically. "Where do you live?" Now Ginny was completely confused - she had no idea what was going on, even though she was in the middle of it.

"A small town just outside of Hogsmeade..." she said tentatively, "It's mostly Muggles."

"Alright, well. I suppose I'll meet you in The Three Broomsticks in an hour? That'll give me enough time to shower and get ready, and find a few things." Stefanie sighed heavily again and then cheerily bid Ginny goodbye.

After she hung up the phone, she realized how much she didn't know.

"So," Mia began as Ginny sat down at the table. "Who is this woman?"

"Draco's cousin, apparently. Although I know Tonks doesn't have any sisters, and I'm pretty sure it's a violation of basic human rights for Bellatrix to have children, so...I suppose it's on his father's side. Although she mentioned being Tonks' cousin...I really don't have a clue." She finished, beginning to giggle.

"I get the feeling she's one for the drama." Mia said amusedly, and Ginny laughed.

"Oh? And what possibly clued you into that?" The girls laughed and decided they should tell Mike about the trip, maybe even take them to see the stores in Hogsmeade. Ginny figured that if they already knew about Wizarding kind, they might as well go with her.

When they got to the playground down the street, Izzy was so excited that when she tried to run over, she fell and hit her head on the sidewalk. Of course, next came the ear-piercing screams, and after almost a half hour of shushing and words of comfort from her mother, Izzy finally calmed down. She was still, however, in no mood to go anywhere. Ginny figured it was sensory overload - the poor girl had seen so much so quickly, and was definitely not ready for much more.

Mia decided to stay behind with the two littlest girls, while Mike offered to take the three older ones out for lunch.

"I suppose that might be a good idea," Ginny sighed after a moment, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"No! _Moomm!"_ Emma whined, "I wanna go with you!"

"Emma, you can't." Ginny stated abruptly, "I need to talk to an old friend of Dad's, and we need to do it privately."

"Mom! I can _help!_ People _like_ me!" She cried, pleading.

"Emma!" Damon interrupted, "Let it go!"

"_You stay out of this_!" She yelled.

"Emma," Ginny tried to quell the coming storm - if the twins got into it, all hell would break loose. "Please just go with Uncle Mike?"

"But _Mooooommmm_," she pleaded, "They're all _boooyyys_." Ginny sighed and considered it. If they had a boys' afternoon, and Ginny took Emma...

"Gin," Mia whispered, walking through quickly. "She's not going to give up on this one." Ginny sighed heavily and looked at Emma's indignant posture. She then looked at the clock on the wall, and had fifteen minutes to get to the Three Broomsticks.

"Alright, fine." Ginny said, giving in. "Mike and the boys will go on an afternoon together, Mia will stay here with Izzy and Julia, and you can come with me _just this once_." She emphasized. Ginny just didn't have the time or the energy for an outright fight with her oldest daughter, who was definitely one of the most headstrong people she'd ever met.

As they all got ready and went their respective ways, Ginny and Emma drove to the edge of Hogsmeade and walked in.

Emma behaved better than Ginny expected her to, marveling at all the different stores and clothing, and everything that was new and different.

"Mom! Look!" She'd cry whenever she saw something that intrigued her. Finally, they approached the Three Broomsticks.

"Emma," Ginny began before they entered.

"I _know_, I know," the little blond interrupted, "Be good, don't interrupt and be nice." She mimiced with a finger wagging to an imaginary figure below her.

"I'm serious, Emma." Ginny said warningly, "We're meeting an old friend of Dad's, and I need you to be nice to her - she doesn't know you."

"Don't you mean I don't know her?" Emma corrected. Ginny sighed and smiled amusedly,

"Not quite." With a confused Emma in tow, Ginny entered the bar and looked around. She was a few minutes late, so she figured Stefanie would already be there, but then remembered that she had no idea what Stefanie looked like, so it would take awhile to figure that out...

"Oh. My. _God_." Came a shocked voice from their left. Both girls turned and saw a pencil-thin woman with long, light brown hair stand up. She had bright blue eyes which were as wide as saucers, and fixed on Emma. "You're Draco's, aren't you?" She said as she approached them. Her eyes moved up to Ginny. "That makes you Ginny Weasley." She said.

"Stefanie Rousseau? Pleased to meet you," Ginny said politely, sticking out her hand. Stefanie shook it politely, but looked back down at Emma.

"You did not _mention_ that you had a daughter." Stefanie stated matter-of-factly. Emma scrunched up her nose in confusion, then opened her mouth to say something, but Ginny interrupted.

"This is Emma, but yes, we have kids."

"_Kids!_ As in..._plural_?" Stefanie cried, "When I get my hands on that boy..."

"_That boy_ turned thirty this past month." Ginny mentioned, "Could we discuss this sitting down?" Stefanie seemed to jump at the realization that they were standing in the middle of the doorway and led them over to a table that already had two butterbeers on it. Emma grimaced.

"Mom, I'm not going to have to drink pumpkin juice, am I?" She asked bluntly. Ginny blushed,

"Emma! What did I tell you?" She hissed quietly.

"What?" Emma shot back defensively, "It's gross!" Ginny turned to Stefanie, ready to apologize for Emma's outburst, but the other woman looked thoroughly amused.

"She certainly is Draco's, isn't she. Honey, you shouldn't say things like that so loudly. If you have to drink something, sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it. But no, you don't have to drink pumpkin juice right now." Stefanie laughed. Ginny smiled and nodded. As they all sat down, Ginny ordered Emma a butterbeer. Emma sat quietly and watched as the older two women talked.

"So, why didn't you tell me you had children? How many is that? How old are they? I assume Emma's starting at Hogwarts in the fall?" Stefanie shot off questions so quickly that Ginny was surprised she had time to breathe in between.

"I didn't mention it because, well, it didn't come up, and you were so upset about him even being married..."

"Well, yes, I am. Doesn't call me for a decade, then sends his wife to call me - doesn't even call himself! Stupid --"

"He doesn't exactly have access to a _phone_ in Azkaban." Ginny pointedly interrupted.

"What's Azkaban?" Emma asked loudly. Stefanie gave her a sharp look.

"Young lady," she said quietly, but sternly, "when adults are talking, you shouldn't interrupt them like that. You should wait until you're in the privacy of your own home and ask then, understand?" Emma nodded, wide-eyed at the scolding. "Oh, Merlin, I sound like my _mother_..." Stefanie muttered before clearing her throat. "Anyway, we were in the middle of something?"

"Oh yes - there are five children --" Ginny began, but Stefanie choked on her sip of butterbeer and had to do a lot not to spit it all out. Her eyes watered a bit, and she tried to control a few small coughs, but after a moment she stared up at Ginny.

"_Five?_" She gasped quietly. "I'll _kill_ him. That's what I'll do..._kill_ him..." she said through a few small coughs.

"Emma and Damon are twins, they're eleven and yes - going to Hogwarts in the fall. Alex, Isabelle and Julia are younger." Stefanie looked like she was about to cry - she even sniffed a bit.

"They sound beautiful," she said quietly.

"They are," Ginny smiled, "So...you're Draco's cousin?" Stefanie cleared her throat.

"Un_for_tunately. My mother was his father's younger sister. When things got bad around these parts, her boyfriend whisked her off to France, and after I was old enough I went to Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts. Visited every summer and Christmas, though. They just didn't want any part of the silly war that was going on, especially after it flared up again. I always tried to convince Draco it was silly to stay in England, but one day, he just stopped answering my owls. Brat." Stefanie explained. Ginny felt a bit of a pang of pain as Stefanie talked so lightly of the war that had nearly destroyed her life.

"So...your family never had to fight?" Ginny asked with a child-like innocence in her voice, quivering with the pain that she'd thought she'd come to terms with long ago. Stefanie didn't seem to notice.

"Nope. Morons never reached France. Sort of tried, once or twice, but nothing ever really came of it. We have different priorities over there." Stefanie said nonchalantly. Ginny took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to gather her thoughts. "Are you alright?" Stefanie asked, suddenly concerned.

"Yeah, sure." Ginny said, nodding and taking another deep breath. "It was just...you talk about that time so lightly, I can't even imagine..."

"Why?" Stefanie asked, confused. "It was a long time ago. Harry Potter defeated them more than ten years ago. Everything's over, no one even cares about the loose Death Eaters anymore, so long as they're not hurting anyone." Ginny laughed bitterly as she took a sip of butterbeer.

"I understand all that, but some of us...were in the thick of it. My brother is Harry Potter's best friend, I actually dated him for awhile. While Draco's family...well, you know all about that, I assume." Ginny said quietly, trying not to look Stefanie in the eye.

"Wait - Ginny _Weasley_ - as in, _Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes_? Your brothers are _geniuses_! They opened a branch in a town outside Beauxbatons - Brilliant stuff! I'm always amazed at the zany things found in there - do they really invent them themselves?" Stefanie realized excitedly. Ginny giggled,

"That's Fred and George - the expanded to France? That's incredible."

"Just last year," Stefanie added.

"Yeah, they invent everything themselves. Shoulda seen them when they were kids, inexperienced and looking for test subjects. And when they first started the company, Hermione had quite a time keeping them from testing the Skiving Snackboxes on unsuspecting first years."

"_Skiving Snackboxes!_" Stefanie marveled dramatically. "Probably one of the best inventions of our time. It's such a shame they're younger than I am - I could've used some of those fainting ones. As it were I just had to do it myself - theirs is much more effective." She smiled. "So, when did you leave England? Did you leave together?" Ginny nodded.

"Towards the end of his seventh year, my sixth, he asked me to just...leave with him." Ginny said quietly, with a blushing smile. Stefanie gasped quietly and got an affectionate look on her face.

"And you two just ran away together?" Ginny nodded, blushing even harder. She glanced at Emma, who was wide eyed with her mouth open, staring at her mother in amazement. Stefanie noticed, "Ladies don't leave their mouths open to catch flies in." She said with a stern look. Emma's head snapped towards her, and she immediately shut her mouth and sat up straight, mimicing Stefanie's perfect posture. She turned back to Ginny. "That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard." She sighed. "So what went wrong?" Ginny looked at Emma uncomfortably - she was trying to keep this away from the children as much as possible. She'd mentioned Askaban in this conversation, but that was alright because Emma had no idea what that was - that it was a prison. None of the children knew where Draco had gone, or why.

"Apparently...before we left..." she began timidly, glancing worriedly at Emma.

"Emma, what's your full name?" Stefanie interrupted gracefully. Emma's head snapped up to look at the woman and she dutifully responded.

"Emma Grace Malfoy." She said mechanically.

"Alright, Emma Grace, you can call me Aunt Stef, ok?" Emma smiled broadly,

"Ok."

"Now, you have to understand," Stefanie continued, ignoring Ginny's confused look. "There are some things that grown-ups talk about that you can't tell anyone else. You're not supposed to even hear it, so it isn't your business to relay it to someone else. Do you get that?" Emma nodded. "Will you promise me that you won't tell anyone?"

"Not even Damon?"

"Not even Damon." Stefanie said seriously. Emma looked at her, obviously thinking hard. "Emma Grace, I asked you a question. If you can't keep this conversation to yourself, we're going to have to ask you to leave, and you won't be able to hear any of it." She said regally. Ginny couldn't believe the change in her voice when she talked to Emma, but more than that - Emma seemed to be _listening_ to the woman. Really taking in what she had to say. Ginny had never had such power over the little girl. Draco had a bit of it - mostly in the past week when he'd gone back to the attitude he'd had as a kid, but not as much as Stefanie seemed to have right now.

Emma gulped, but nodded.

"I promise, Aunt Stef. I won't tell anyone." She said seriously.

"Thank you," Stefanie smiled. "You were saying?" She asked, turning back to Ginny. Ginny took a second to marvel at the immediate connection Stefanie and Emma had, but thought it quite resembled the one Draco and Mike had made that first day in the diner. She was glad Emma would listen to someone, finally.

"Before we left," Ginny began again, taking a deep breath. "Draco disappeared for a week."

"Disappeared? What do you mean disappeared?" Stefanie asked, obviously very concerned.

"You know he was a Death Eater, right?" Stefanie nodded. "Well, one night there was a battle, and he went off to fight...and he...just didn't come back." Ginny remembered the torturous night in vivid detail. She remembered looking out the window, waiting for him, falling asleep in the hospital wing...

"He didn't come back?" Stefanie gasped quietly, shaking Ginny out of her memory. Ginny took a deep breath and shook her head.

"He was supposed to check in with me at the Hospital Wing every time...as soon as he got back..." she continued in a quiet voice. "But he didn't come back."

"Ok..." Stefanie interjected, nodding. Ginny glanced down at Emma who had a hurt and scared expression on her face. It tore Ginny up that she was there, so innocent and ignorant. Ginny's hand graced Emma's face, and the little girl smiled up at her mom in encouragement.

"When he _did_ come back, a week later," she continued, looking up at Stefanie. "He broke up with me."

"How long had you been together?" Ginny considered the question, and went through the whole year in her head.

"Well...we never...there was never a real definite moment when we got together. But I suppose it had been...maybe five or six months? I don't know, that's when he kissed me, it all just sort of spiraled out from there. Or from the library...I don't know - it'd been awhile." Ginny realized they hadn't really ever 'gotten together'. It had just sort of...happened.

"What do you mean about the library?" Stefanie asked. Ginny smiled and took another sip of her drink - Emma mimiced her perfectly.

"It was a hard year for me, sixteen. So at night I would sneak out of my dormitory and sit in the library...on this one window sill..." Ginny happily remembered her quiet sill, the book she'd transfigure into a cushion... "I'd just sit there for awhile in the quiet, sort of escaping from it all. One night, Draco found me there. And he sat with me, instead of turning me in. Suppose he needed a quiet place to get away from it all, too...Anyway, after awhile we ended up talking, and we'd sit up at night and just...talk. In the library." Ginny explained thoughtfully, lost in the good times of that year.

"Is that how you met Dad?" Emma asked quietly, a small smile on her face. Ginny laughed softly.

"No, that's just when I started to like him." She said amusedly.

"Draco can have that affect on people." Stefanie nodded in understanding.

"It was more his father - your Uncle Lucius." Ginny said quietly. Stefanie visibly winced.

"Yeah...he can have that affect on people, too." Stefanie said admittedly. "Anyway - back to the story - he didn't come back. That's so sad." She said, a concerned looked on her face.

"I was _terrified_. I thought he was hurt, or dead, or worse. I had no idea what was going on," she admitted, "but I was sick with worry. I did nothing but go to class and wait in the Hospital Wing for him to come back."

"That's so sweet," Stefanie sighed.

"It was _awful_." Ginny said bluntly. "And then when he came back, he broke up with me." She said, still a tad on the bitter side. Stefanie, though, hearing this for the first time, gasped and put her hand over her open mouth.

"No!" She said in quiet disbelief. Ginny was a little confused at the incredible level of attention her story was getting, considering...she was doing a terrible job of telling it, and it wasn't that fantastic of a story to begin with.

"Yeah, I know." She said, chuckling. "He told me that this was stupid --"

"That what was stupid?" Stefanie interrupted. "I'm sorry for interrupting." She added quickly, with a pointed look at Emma.

"It's alright, and our relationship - he said our relationship was stupid and that it had to end sometime." Stefanie gasped again.

"That _little_..." She started to mumble under her breath, but after glancing at Emma again, she cleared her throat, looked back up at Ginny, and apologized again.

"It's fine," Ginny said. "Anyway, he sort of broke up with me, and then we didn't talk for a week - pretty bad week, too, considering we were partners in Potions - and then he just came to me and asked me to leave with him, said he couldn't deal anymore. And so I thought about it, and we left." As she finished, the pieces all fell into place in her head. The killings, the random conversation the week he was gone at the breakfast table about the spike in murders, the week they didn't talk...leaving. Her eyes widened as she was lost in her thoughts. "He planned it all..." She whispered in amazement.

"What?" Stefanie asked quietly.

"He broke up with me and didn't talk to me because he'd spent the week killing people," Emma gasped quietly, but went back to her perfect posture as soon as the adults looked at her. She looked a bit scared, but Ginny continued. "His soul must have been ripped to shreds..." She said, her voice starting to quiver. "I can't...I can't imagine what that was like. He...it must've been so hard. Why didn't he tell me?" She asked no one.

"Because Draco's a tough guy." Stefanie answered with a bitter laugh, "who's convinced he's the _only one_ in the _whole_ _fu_--..._world_ who knows what pain is."

"Merlin, and I pushed him to come back here...He's probably sitting in Azkaban reliving that week over and over again..." Ginny said softly, taking a deep breath and imagining how miserable Draco was.

"Sweetheart," Stefanie said softly, "if he cares about you as much as it seems, he's probably reliving the week after that." That didn't help Ginny much.

"I have to go see him." She said determinedly.

"We'll go together, tomorrow. I assume you have someone who can take care of all your kids?" Stefanie said decidedly. Ginny nodded,

"A friend of mine and her son." She clarified. Stefanie looked at a silver watch on her wrist.

"Alright. I have an appointment back at home in about ten minutes. How about we say...ten o'clock tomorrow morning, I'll meet you at your house and we'll Apparate over?" Stefanie offered. Ginny just blushed.

"Actually...we..well, we left when I was sixteen, so..."

"You don't have an Apparition license, do you." Stefanie said, understanding. Ginny shook her head. "Alright, fine. You can Side-Along Apparate, we'll work it."

"Ok," Ginny said quietly. "Thank you," she added. Stefanie smiled and patted Ginny's shoulder as she stood up.

"Any friend of Draco's is a friend of mine." She said with a smile, then she looked at her watch again. "Shoot...stupid French - always too punctual." She said with a smile as the three girls walked out the door together.

"Have a good day," Ginny added politely. Stefanie smiled back,

"You too. And hey," she added, "don't worry too much about Draco - he's a tough guy. He can take it, so long as we get him out of there soon."

"I know you're right, I'm just so worried - and the kids. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"Don't worry, Mom." Emma interrupted, "I'll take care of Damon and Alex and Izzy. And Julia doesn't really care much." Stefanie beamed down at the little girl, who reveled in the approval.

"Good girl." Stefanie said happily, "you're a huge help, you know that?" Emma just smiled up at her.

"You really think we'll be able to get him out of there?" Ginny asked Stefanie hopefully.

"I'm not leaving him in the dust, and I haven't lost a case yet, so...yes. He'll be out before the kids go back to school." She said, nodding.

"You're a lawyer?" Ginny said, confused. Stefanie looked at her, just as confused.

"Yup. Suppose Draco doesn't know that, though. In France things are different - they actually give people the benefit of the doubt." She laughed bitterly.

"But I didn't think..."

"They don't - not here in England. But they will. _Oh..._they will..." She said, looking like she was contemplating something maniacal. "Alright, ladies, this is where I leave you. Have a wonderful afternoon, and Emma? Remember everything I said."

"I will, Aunt Stef!" Emma said, smiling. Stefanie smiled back down at her.

"Bye girls! Tomorrow at ten!" She said, as she apparated away.

Emma stared at her now empty space in awe and only took one moment before starting to walk and talk.

"What did she just do? What's Azkaban? How did you and Dad meet? Who did Dad kill? Why would he do that? What made you leave here? Why doesn't England have lawyers? How's she going to get to France in ten minutes? Where did Dad go when he disappeared? What's Apparition? What did you mean when you said Dad's soul was ripped? What's worse than being dead?Mom, I _really like her_!" Emma fired off question after question as they walked out of Hogsmeade and drove back home. Ginny just let her ask questions, get it all out of her system, and then turned to her in the car before they walked inside the house.

"I can't answer all your questions right now, Emma, I have to make sure everything's ok with Izzy, and tell Mia what happened. But write down some of them, ok? So you remember, and sometime this week, we'll go out to lunch, and I'll answer all your questions. Sound good?" Ginny offered hopefully. Emma nodded excitedly.

"I still can't tell Damon?" She asked sadly.

"No, not yet. Maybe he can come to lunch with us, but I don't know just yet. You can only talk to me and maybe your Aunt Mia about it - it's grown-up stuff, ok?" Ginny said, "remember what your Aunt Stef said." That seemed to hit Emma. She straightened up and nodded, and as they walked back into the house, Ginny just hoped Mia's afternoon went better than hers had...


	10. Azkaban

**Chapter Nine, Azkaban**

_"And there's a demon in my head who starts to play  
a nightmare tape loop of what went wrong yesterday.  
And I hold my breath til it's more than I can take,  
And I close my eyes, I dream that I'm awake..._

_I try to keep awake.  
I try to keep awake.  
I try to keep awake, but I,  
I can feel this narcolepsy slide into another nightmare..." -'Narcolepsy', Third Eye Blind_

_"Draco..." she began, in a pleading voice._

_"Red, stop it." He said firmly. She had no idea what she was talking about, and yet she wouldn't leave it alone. Part of Draco thought bitterly that that was one thing he liked so much about her._

_"Look me in the eye." She said firmly, "Look me in the eye, and tell me that you don't care about me." He tensed and turned to her. He couldn't believe she was pushing this so hard - he was a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake - a murderer._

_"Is that what you want?" He asked quietly, looking right into her. He saw her pain and her confusion, but he couldn't feel a thing. He couldn't feel bad, he couldn't feel upset, he couldn't feel guilty. He couldn't feel._

_"Of course that's not what I want!" She cried, "What I want is for you to drop this crap and tell me what the hell's going on! But you seem to be stuck on breaking up with me. So look me in the eye and tell me you don't care about me, and if you can't do it, I want some answers." He looked at her and something inside him began to break. Just as it did, though, something else hardened and he went back to the icy guard he'd kept for too long. The cold indifference._

Draco jerked awake and hit his head on the wall. For a second, he had no idea where he was. His hands ran over the dirt floor, and he felt the cold chill of indifference in the atmosphere. He was going to rot in Azkaban...he was never going to get out. Ginny had forgotten about him, had left him. She probably hadn't even called Stefanie...no one wants to help a Death Eater. No one wants to know a Death Eater.

Draco wanted to hit something, punch a wall, but he was too tired. He was drowning in his memories, falling faster into the dark times of his life, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He was going to rot in Azkaban and there was nothing he could do to stop it...

He leaned up against the back wall and tried to breathe deep, but found he couldn't breathe well at all. He'd been doing the best he could to supress any memories the dementors' presence brought to his consciousness, and he'd been doing a good enough job so far, he thought. He was still relatively sane - at least, he knew what was real and what wasn't...

_"No, please...please, what do you want?" The old woman begged. Draco gulped, but didn't lower his wand._

_"Shut up, woman!" Another woman screamed. "Now, Draco. Come along now..." she said viciously. Draco fought to keep his hand from shaking as he tried to open his mouth to utter the curse. He couldn't turn around, but he could feel the wand at his back._

Draco hit his head against the wall behind him. Again, and again, he just hit the wall. He knew that memory wasn't real, it was just a memory. It wasn't real...they must be getting closer.

Sure enough, a dementor opened up the door to his cell...

_"I SAID SHUT UP!" Bellatrix screamed. Draco almost flinched, but was completely numb. He was only seventeen, he didn't know how to do this...He couldn't feel his legs, he couldn't feel his fingers. He couldn't open his mouth, so he'd have to cast the curse silently - as if his voice would work anyway._

_He tried casting the curse silently, but failed numerous times._

_"Draco, hurry up!" Bellatrix prodded him in the back with her own wand. Draco shut his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the old woman, shaking in fear. She was small and frail, pale and white with horror._

_Draco opened his mouth, but it was completely dry. He cleared his throat and opened it again._

_"Avada Kedavra," he said clearly._

Draco felt ropes wrap around his wrists, as he was dragged out of...where ever he was. He still saw everything as if he were in his memory, back in that old woman's house again, everyone's life on the line. It was hard to tell what was real...he saw his wand pointed out in front of him, the terrified old woman cowering in fear...but he felt himself stumbling forward, being thrown into somewhere...falling onto the floor.

He groaned softly as reality came back to him. He blinked a few times before he heard someone mutter a curse word, and he finally saw the room around him come into focus. It wasn't his cell, but it didn't look much different. Draco rolled onto his back as he felt someone close in on him. He held his breath for a second before opening his eyes.

"Draco?" Ginny asked softly. What was left of his heart leapt, he hadn't expected to ever see her again. He smiled softly, almost smirking. He mustered all the strength he had left in his starved body and sat up. She tried to help pull him up, but she was shaking so badly, he had to hold her hands to help her calm down. He smiled at her as she tried obviously not to cry, and his hand graced her cheek.

He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. As his head came back to him, he looked around. The room did look like his cell, but a little bigger, and a little cleaner. As he looked around his eyes came upon another smirking face sitting at a table in the middle of the room.

"Holy --"

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Stefanie interrupted, still smirking as she stood up. Draco, with Ginny's help, stood up and crossed the room. When he reached Stefanie they both looked each other up and down, and then he hugged her. She stiffened for a second, before chuckling and hugging him back. Soon enough, she was in tears, unwilling to let him go.

"Merlin, Stefanie, it's been a long time." He said, laughing.

"How can you laugh you stupid jerk!" She cried. "You stop responding to my owls, you don't call me for a decade, you get married and have beautiful kids and don't tell me, and now I have to come save your stupid --"

"Alright, alright, I get it." Draco said, trying to supress his laughter. Stefanie sniffed as she pulled back and looked at him.

"They're not feeding you, are they? You're not eating, are you. I can't believe they would do this...I'll have to see someone about this..." Stefanie said, sitting down and writing something down on a piece of parchment.

Draco walked over to where Ginny was standing and smiled at her. She looked up at him with concerned eyes - the eyes he loved so much. They were full of confusion and hopelessness, but he knew her better than that. She'd be just fine, soon enough...and he kissed her. He just leaned down and kissed her, he could never help it around her. She made him break, every time.

When they finally broke apart, Stefanie was in tears again and Ginny leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I miss you," she said softly.

"I miss you, too." He replied. "How are the kids?"

"Which you didn't tell me you had!" Stefanie interjected. Ginny smiled,

"They're confused and scared, but they don't know too much. Except for Emma." Ginny admitted.

"Uh oh," Draco said, as they sat down at the table across from Stefanie. "Eavesdropping?"

"My niece would do no such thing!" Stefanie yelled at him. "She is a proper young lady and will be talked about as such!"

"Oh Merlin, Red," Draco sighed, looking at Ginny. "You took her with you to meet _her_?" He asked in disbelief. Ginny got an innocent look of indignation on her face.

"She threw one of her hissy fits," she protested.

"My niece does not throw hissy fits!" Stefanie defended. Draco looked between the two women, astonished and hurt at how much he'd already missed.

"Wanna fill me in?" he asked, resting his head in his hands in defeat. The mood in the room immediately sobered, and the two women exchanged obvious glances.

"You didn't tell me she was your cousin," Ginny offered.

"Yeah, well, there wasn't much time as your brother was dragging me off." Draco replied helplessly. Silence took over the room as he tried to decide what to do.

After a few moments, Stefanie cleared her throat.

"Alright, that's it." She said viciously, glaring at Draco. "This poor woman came to me in _hysterics_ and I will not have you or anyone else talk to her like that. Your daughter is _beautiful_ and will grow into a fine young woman, but I will not have you speak about her like that. You will not bite the hands that are trying to bail your arse out of jail!" Draco glared right back at her.

"You do not understand what you're talking about, so don't sit here and tell me what my daughter is and isn't. Do not sit here and speak to me like I'm a child. I fully understand the gravity of the situation, moreso than I think you do, so don't think you can get away with talking to me like that." He spat back at her. They stared each other down for a second, before Stefanie broke into a smile.

"Just like old times!" She exclaimed with glee.

"Just like old times..." Draco muttered with a tiredsigh. Another awkward silence took over as Draco tried to regain his head, tried to figure out what he was going to do.

"So how are you?" He asked, looking at Stefanie and trying to smile. She smiled back.

"I'm alright," she answered honestly. "Never married or had kids, not that I could deal with them if I did. You should've seen me at lunch yesterday with Emma, I sounded like my mother...it was the scariest afternoon of my life, I'm telling ya." Draco smirked, remembering his Aunt Alexandria. She was a stickler for manners, almost more than his mother.

"Still in France?" He asked offhandedly.

"Yup," she nodded, "defense lawyer. Best one in the city, actually. Haven't lost a case yet." She smiled proudly. Draco just smirked back at her.

"Defense lawyer? Why am I not surprised?" He distinctly remembered Stefanie's argument methods. She wasn't great at making a case, but she was always incredible at making people unsure of right from left. She could convince an Eskimo that he needed ice, just because if he didn't buy it, the ice would be lonely and forgotten, and that would be mean.

"Because I like to argue." She answered with a grin. "So, are all your kids like the little angel I met yesterday?"

"Seriously, Red, whose child did you bring?" He asked, amused. She finally smiled, she'd been looking so scared and unhappy the whole time.

"I brought Emma," she confirmed, "they just...hit it off."

"Now there's a scary thought." Draco muttered. "No," he replied to Stefanie, "the others are much more well-behaved than she is."

"She was an angel!" Stefanie cried. Draco looked skeptically at Ginny, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me." she said, "Emma sat still, sat up straight, drank her butterbeer and only interrupted me two or three times in an hour." Draco looked at her confused,

"That's..."

"Not like her, I know. She adores your cousin here - her Aunt Stef. Has a million questions now, by the way." Ginny added.

"Aunt what?" Draco asked, astonished. No one had ever called Stefanie by less than her full name without suffering some sort of consequences in the thirty years he'd known her. Stefanie giggled,

"That was my doing." She mentioned.

"So what does Emma know?" Draco asked, realizing the gravity of what they could be dealing with. He was scared - he didn't want his little girl knowing certain things about him, about his past.

"Besides a little vocabulary," Ginny said quietly, "Just about everything." Draco's jaw tightened, and he looked down at his hands. He opened his mouth to say something, but Stefanie began before he could.

"It's alright," she said seriously, "I think she's ok with it."

"She may be, but I'm not." He said, just as seriously.

"Oh please," Stefanie said, brushing off Draco's concerns - just like she always did - "No one's dyin-- ...I suppose that's a bad choice of words now, huh?" She said, mostly to herself. It always irked Draco, how unaware she was of other people's concerns and feelings.

"Not the time, Stefanie." He said through gritted teeth.

"Let's just...talk, alright?" Ginny interrupted timidly. Draco had almost never seen her act timid. When they first left she'd been quiet and distant, but that's about it. It struck him and made him feel awhful - it was his fault she was feeling like this, acting like this. It was his fault they were in this situation, his fault they'd left. He put his head in his hands and tried to breathe deep, but nothing came of it. He didn't calm down, he didn't feel better, and he certainly didn't know where the hell to turn.

"Alright, here's the deal." Stefanie began decidedly. Draco looked up at her, confused. "I'm going to petition the Wizengamot, they're going to allow me to defend you, and then you'll get to go home to your family, say, two months tops." She brought out another piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of blue ink.

"What?" Draco asked, dumbfounded. "You're going to what?"

"Did I miss something?" She asked, just as confused.

"Don't you live in France?" He asked.

"Haven't you ever heard of Apparition?" She shot back.

"Why would you defend a murderer?"

"Why did you kill those people?"

"Stefanie," Draco growled, hating it when people didn't answer his questions. "Why are you here?"

"So you can...not be here." She shrugged. She started writing on her piece of parchment, but her handwriting was so loopy and illegible, Draco couldn't understand a word of it. "Ok. So, we have star-crossed lovers, divided by a war, their families, endless deadly fights and their young age. Am I missing something?" She looked up at Draco and Ginny questioningly.

"Only the suicides." Ginny replied, seemingly caught offguard. Draco considered it - when you put it like that, it was very Romeo and Juliet. After a lengthy discussion about it, Ginny promised Stefanie her copy of the classic play.

"Stefanie..." Draco began tentatively.

"Listen, you little Malfoy." Stefanie spat viciously, "I don't care what you think or who you're upset with. I'm going to defend you because you deserve it."

"Stefanie," Draco growled viciously, "I killed five people."

"What?" Ginny interrupted, alarmed. "No...no - they arrested you for killing three people." Draco sighed, the truth had to come out sometime...

Afteran hourof explaining everything, Ginny and Stefanie were left awestruck and in tears. Neither woman could speak, or even wrap her mind around what was happening.

"I...I'll be right back..." Ginny said quickly, getting up and leaving the room. Draco tried to stop her, but she brushed right by him and nearly sprinted out the door. Draco took a deep breath and sat back down across from Stefanie, who only had one thing to say, but she kept saying it over and over and over.

"_Wow_. ...just...Wow. ...**wow**."

"I get it." Draco said, annoyed. "Not my finest hour. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen." He looked helplessly at the door, hoping she'd come back.

"I just...can't believe you killed five people. Do they even know about the other two?" Draco shrugged pathetically.

"Who cares? Doesn't make a differece."

"Of course it does!" Stefanie shrieked, beginning to smile. "This is better than I thought..."

_"Better?"_ Draco hissed, "What's better?"

"This story!" She replied excitedly.

"This is not just a story, this is my life!" He hissed violently. "Alexander's birthday is in less than two weeks, and I'm not going to be there. You're introduced to my family, these two worlds collide, and I can't be there. Red is out there, right now, probably crying, and I can't be there. This is not just some campfire story you tell when you're bored!" Stefanie looked at him in awe as his voice rose and he started to yell at her.

"Can you say that in court? It'll be a great piece of your defense." She said, admiring his indignation. Draco nearly broke - he couldn't believe how lightly she was taking this whole situation.

_"I'm not going to argue with you about this, Red. Get out of here before something happens." He growled. He knew she was only there to get back at him, make him pay for breaking up with her._

_"Something like what, Draco?" She shot angrily, "Like I get tortured again? What's it matter to you, anyway? You don't care about me." He couldn't imagine why she'd say that - she knew for a fact it wasn't true. But as soon as he thought that, he repressed it and got back to the matter at hand - he wasn't going to get into that argument right now, there just wasn't time._

_"Get out of here, Red, or I swear I'll take you out." He snarled, trying to sound more convincing than he felt._

_"Try me." She challenged. He grabbed her upper arm and started to drag her back to the castle, but she twisted out of his grasp. "I grew up with six older brothers who use the same tricks, don't underestimate me." She said slyly, but with venom. He grabbed her wrist and started dragging her away, but she twisted so that she had ahold of his wrist, and twisted it behind him. He winced in pain, but didn't say anything. "Now you listen to me," she hissed into his ear from behind him. "You were the one who left. You were the one who said this was over. So goddammit, leave it be." He felt her shove him away, but he couldn't look back to see where she'd gone. He was angrier and more hurt than he'd ever been. He took a moment to catch his breath -_

"Draco?" Someone said, alarmed, somewhere near him. He got so confused - he could still see the battle, or at least, bits and pieces of it. He could still hear her voice in his ear...

"Draco, stop it!" that same someone yelled. ...but wait...that's not what had happened next...

He blinked a few times and realized he was lying on the floor, Stefanie crouching over him. He didn't know how he'd ended up on the floor, but apparently he had.

"What...what happened?" He asked, blinking and trying to remember what was going on. He muttered a curse as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I don't really know, I think a dementor walked by but I didn't see it..." She said, the concern gone from her voice.

"Here's the deal." Stefanie said again. "I'm going to defend you, and you don't have a choice. I don't care why you called me back into your life, but I'm here and you can't make me go away. Got it?" Draco was too exhausted to do anything but nod. "Good. I'll be in touch, I promise. You don't worry about anything except...not going crazy. I'll worry about the rest of it, alright? Including Ginny and the kids."

"Is Mike here?" Draco asked quietly.

"I think that's his name, yeah. Him and his mom are here. Anyway, don't worry. Once this is over you'll be back to the status your grandfather had in society. Lickity split. All this Death-Eater War nonsense is making me sick. We'll make sure it ends here."

"Stefanie," Draco said warningly, knowing she'd never understood the full gravity of the War and its...incidents. "You can't just tell people not to care and expect them to do it. That War was a big deal around here, and people don't take lightly to seventeen year olds killing their grandmother. You need to..walk on eggshells."

"I will do no such thing!" Stefanie said, almost offended. "This is ridiculous and I will not have you missing your son's birthday because of it!"

"Stop it," he growled warningly, "I'm serious. Do not push this too hard or you'll go down in flames, too."

"I will push it as hard as I like. That's what wrong with England, no one wants to actually come out and say what's wrong, they just bottle it up until it gets to be too much, and a war explodes out of nothing." She ranted on and on about the differences between England and France, making little to no sense at all and very few points.

"Just...make sure she gets my Gringott's key, and my ring." He said quietly as Stefanie was walking out the door.

"Still in the same place?" Stefanie asked, and he nodded. She gave him another once-over before nodding and walking out.

Draco looked at the door again, hoping Ginny would come back at least to say goodbye, but he had no such luck. Of course she wasn't coming back. He'd probably find an empty house once he got out of Azkaban. If he got out of Azkaban, which he probaby wouldn't. She was probably on her way home now, to pack up the kids and move back to the Burrow...he'd have no one left. Not that he'd never dealt with that sort of situation before, it was just...now he needed to relearn how to deal without her. He wasn't sure if he could ever do that, especially now, with the kids - what were they going to think of him? Emma probably already hated him, and would make sure none of the kids ever spoke to him again - she had that sort of power over people, the same kind that Stefanie had.

Stefanie. He knew she was going to push this issue right into the eye of the public, and then even if the Wizengamot wanted to let him go, they couldn't. He goes free and all hell breaks loose. Again.

Maybe it would've been better to have stayed in New Jersey. Hell...maybe it would've been better to not leave in the first place.


	11. Judgment Day

NOTE: There's a lot of little things in here that indicate Ron's mental/emotional state that you need to pay attention to -- he's really not a bad guy! There's also a reference to a Guster song (the lyric is 'past is past and we cannot take it back' -- it was too good to leave out. Anyway, it's not mine) -- also, the Romeo & Juliet thing, obviously Shakespeare's, just not the Hogwarts part. You'll see.

* * *

**Chapter Ten, Judgment Day**

_"I wish you would step out from that ledge, my friend.  
You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in,  
and If you do not want to see me again,  
I would understand...I would understand." -'Jumper', Third Eye Blind_

Ron had been getting it from all sides for too long now. Hermione was yelling at him, his mum was yelling at him, his brothers and their wives weren't too happy with him. Even Harry had been a bit distant since her return.

Her return. That girl had no respect left for anyone...she didn't think about anyone but herself, he thought bitterly. There'd been a time where he thought she was the closest of all his siblings, his best friend even. And then she left. Not only did she leave their family - the most important thing in the world to him - she left him. And she didn't even say goodbye...

Ron sat on his bed, his head in his hands and took a deep breath. He didn't know what to do. He knew he hated her stupid git of a husband, or whatever he was. He knew he was angry with her. But he just felt like he was seventeen all over again, like he didn't know what to do or where to go. He had Hermione, and that was wonderful - and his kids were great, but...this was something none of them could ever understand.

Today was his trial. Well, at least, it began today. Who knew when it would end. _He_ didn't have any pull left in the Ministry, so it should be fair. Fair, in Ron's mind, being he gets to rot in Azkaban for the rest of his life - he'd escaped punishment for too long. No one could run from the law forever, no one should try. If you committ a crime, you have to be punished - it's just the way of the world.

Ron got up and got dressed, deciding he didn't really know whether or not he wanted to see her today. She hadn't been around at all since he'd gone to prison - but it was not Ron's fault he'd brutally murdered three people. Ron put that day out of his mind - everyone, including Harry, was now blaming him for alienating her. It wasn't his fault she'd run off with a murdering git.

Breakfast was, again, a quiet affair. He'd tried talking to Hermione rationally, but she just kept yelling at him and accusing him, so he'd decided that wasn't the best course of action. Everyone seemed to agree with him that the guy belonged in jail, but no one seemed to want to put him there. Was it Ron's fault he'd pulled out the warrant? It wasn't his fault the warrant existed, he was just doing his job.

Ron wondered what was going on with her, how she was, where she'd been...but he wasn't about to go find her and apologize. He hadn't done anything wrong!

"Have a good day at work." Hermione muttered bitterly as he was leaving. It hurt him how upset she was with him. She'd never been so mean to him in all their years together.

"Mione," he pleaded, "please stop it." She just gave him a _'Ronald Weasley I will not stop it!'_ Look, and he sighed. He turned and walked out, hoping that things were going to look up today, for once.

When he finally got to the Ministry, things seemed to be buzzing, much moreso than usual.

"What's going on?" He ask Harry, as he sat down at his desk.

"You haven't heard? Malfoy gets a lawyer, and she's turning this whole thing into a show." Harry said frustratedly. Ron almost jumped out of his seat.

"He gets a what! But that's not how things work! The Wizengamot's allowing this!" He cried. Harry just nodded,

"The Wizengamot OKed it. She petitioned them, made her case, and somehow...I dunno, got through." Harry shrugged.

"But...But that's not how things work! Hasn't anyone told them what's what around here?" Ron asked angrily, "who is this lawyer, anyway?" Harry shrugged again,

"Dunno...I think I heard she's French --"

"Well that's why," muttered Ron. The French had this ridiculous idea of innocent until proven guilty. Although Ron thought that if you had enough evidence to arrest someone, you have enough evidence to convict them.

"Rousseau, or something. I don't know her." Harry finished, seeming to not notice Ron's interruption.

The two men made their way down to the court to watch the show. When Ron walked in, he couldn't believe how many people were there - was the trial of a known Death Eater really that important? People had been trying to brush this stuff under the rug for a decade since Harry had defeated Voldemort, not make it a huge debacle.

Ron examined the setting, the Wizengamot was sitting down, Malfoy was chained and standing off to the side with a slightly older woman, probably only 35 or so, with straight brown hair and a determined look on her face. He figured that was the 'lawyer'. Malfoy didn't look to happy, but Ron knew he was walking on sunshine that he, yet again, gets special treatment from everyone. It drove Ron nuts that the government still would bend to a Malfoy for absolutely no apparent reason.

As the court was called to order, and the new procedure explained to the crowd and participants, Ron's eyes never left Malfoy. He may be chained, but that didn't make him any less dangerous. He didn't love her - Ron wasn't quite sure what had happened there, but he knew he didn't love her - and it drove him insane. She deserved so much more. She deserved differently.

Ron didn't listen until the woman he supposed was the lawyer introduced herself quite dramatically to the court and audience. Stefanie Rousseau was her name, and Harry was right - she was from France. Ron hated her already. She was such a show-off, always waving her arms around for emphasis.

"And now, if we could have order in the court, for the - er, opening statements?" Katie Bell, the Head of Magical Law Enforcment, asked. The Rousseau woman nodded politely and smiled, and Katie just smiled back and said "Proceed."

Stefanie Rousseau smiled brightly and stood up.

"Does the Prosecution wish to go first?" She asked the Wizengamot politely. Ron looked bewilderedly up to the front of the room, straining to see another table. What he saw made him want to hang his head in his hands.

Percy Weasley stood up and adjusted his coat, nodding to Rousseau as he did.

"Thank you." He said stiffly.

"This is a complete show," Ron whispered to Harry in disbelief. "Malfoy's got them all in his pocket!"

"Ron," Harry said irritably, "if you don't drop this soon, I'm leaving." Ron'd had a hard time convincing Harry to come in the first place, so he shut up pretty quickly.

"Ladies and gentleman of the Wizengamot." Percy said regally. "We are here today to try Draco Malfoy, in the murders of Kenneth Towler, Mafalda Hopkirk and..." Percy glanced at a piece of parchment on the table specified for him, "Eric Munch. All of whom were Ministry employees at the time of their death. Draco Malfoy has been arrested, and rightfully so, by our own Aurors, who have worked tirelessly to capture all the Death Eaters and murderers who roamed our land through that dark time. Although things have now changed, his crime still stands." Percy pointed at Draco. "His name was given to us by none other than his father and aunt --"

"What?" Came an astonished gasp from the side of the room.

"Shut up, Draco." Rousseau said through gritted teeth. The room was so quiet you could hear anyone whispering, and Ron was surprised Draco hadn't already heard that in Azkaban.

"As I was saying," Percy cleared his throat. "His name was given up by members of his own family, who were shocked and saddened that such a young sould could be so dark. This man not only deserves jail, he needs it. Rehabilitation of a Death Eater has never been proven, therefore we must turn to our only option - permanent incarceration. If the Wizengamot sees fit - the Dementor's Kiss."

"_WHAT?_" Came another astonished cry from Draco.

"I said _shut up!_" Rousseau yelled at him. He glared at her for a second, but complied. She cleared her throat and stood up.

"Pardon my client's interruption. He doesn't know what's good for him your honors." She said with a sweet smile that nearly made Ron sick - they couldn't be falling for this act, could they? A moment later, she walked out from behind her table and put her quill down, beginning her opening statement.

"Two households, both alike in dignity,  
In fair Hogwarts, where we lay our scene,  
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,  
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.  
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes  
A pair of star-crossed lovers change their lives." Stefanie paused in her pacing, to let the audience feel the full effect of her monologue. Ron had to admit, it was a good show - but they had to see that that's all it was, right?

"Draco Malfoy was deemed a Death Eater when he was born." She said bluntly. "He was the son of a loyal Death Eater, the nephew of an even more loyal Death Eater, and the same age as The Boy Who Lived. Draco grew up, indoctrinated with a sense of hate and malice towards anything that was different," at this, Ron couldn't help but roll his eyes. She was making it out like he didn't have a choice in all this - you always had a choice! "He hated Muggleborns, blood traitors, teachers his father didn't approve of and the great Albus Dumbledore. It was, in fact, Draco's job to murder Albus Dumbledore. But something happened that night. Something unexpected." Rousseau paused again, for dramatic effect. If Ron hadn't been too busy rolling his eyes in disgust, he would've seen everyone, including Harry, on the edge of their seat in confusion.

"He couldn't do it." Ron looked over at Malfoy, who was pointedly looking away. Probably exactly what Rousseau had told him to do. "He couldn't do it," she continued, "because he's not a murderer. Severus Snape finished off the job - it's a matter of public record. And ever since that night, Draco's life has been a rollercoaster of new experiences, events and ideas. He began to see things in a different light, even falling in love with a girl classified by his family as a 'blood traitor'. He did everything he could for her, even though he was a Death Eater, not by choice, and she was not an Order of the Phoenix member - also not by choice. These star-crossed lovers kept their relationship a secret, until they couldn't any longer."

"Draco Malfoy is not who you think he is. In this trial, I will show you who he really is, and why he killed those five people." Commotion immediately sprang up in the court, everyone almost laughing at Stefanie for mistaking the number. Once it died down, she continued.

"My client has not killed three people in his life, he's killed five. We will explain in due time, and you will come to understand the choices Draco had to make - the sacrifices. In the end, he chose to give up everything for love. And now, he's back again. For love. There is no greater goal. There is no higher reason. Love. Thank you." She sat down at a table next to where Draco was chained, and everyone began chatting at once.

"Five?" Ron asked Harry confusedly. "But on the warrant..." Harry looked back at him, worried.

"The warrant must've been wrong..." Harry concluded.

"But how could that be? His own father...!"

"Must not have told the whole story..." Harry continued thoughtfully. The pair immediately stood up as court adjourned for the day and rushed back to their office. Ron was determined to figure out who the other two poor souls were who died, and he wanted to nail Malfoy for them, as well. Five people? Who can do that? Ron had never killed anyone in his life!

Harry and Ron worked tirelessly for the rest of the day going through old documents. It was difficult because at the time of the murders, no one wanted to report on anything significant enough to be helpful - like, who'd been sighted where, whether a known Death Eater had been in school at the time or not...etc. Ron poured over Daily Prophets and school records, looking for a clue, but didn't find anything - his mind was racing too fast to concentrate on anything for too long, and it had already been a long day.

"Ron," Harry finally said at seven thirty. "Go home. I don't want Hermione coming after me because you're set on figuring this out. He killed five people - that's better for us, not worse."

"Then why did the lawyer lady make it sound like it was worse for us?"

"Because she a lawyer," Harry pointed out. "That's what they do." Ron leaned back in his chair for the first time in three hours and sighed.

"I suppose you're right." He admitted. He looked down at the papers on his desk, admitting his defeat to them. He sighed and gathered them up. "Do they even want to know?" He asked Harry honestly. Harry just shrugged.

"Katie just said that it wouldn't really make a difference. He's getting a harsh punishment either way, so...although it'd be nice to have the names on the list, it's really not necessary in terms of punishment." Harry said nonchalantly. Ron took a deep breath and shoved all the papers back into one very messy file. He packed up his things and headed for home again.

When he got there, the atmosphere almost felt like Azkaban. The kids weren't anywhere in sight, and Hermione was vehemently washing dishes in the kitchen.

"Hi...'Mione..." Ron said timidly, standing by the kitchen table as he walked in. He watched as she slowly finished what she was doing, turned off the tap, dried her hands with a towel, and turned around to face him with a very angry look on her face. "Er, how was your day?"

"How was my day?" She asked him in disbelief, crossing her arms and leaning back against the sink. "How was my day? How was your day, Ronald? Throw anyone else's husband in prison?" She asked bitterly. "Do you realize what time it is?" She asked. Ron looked at the clock - eight o'clock. "You said you'd be home for dinner tonight."

"I know, but something happened at work..."

"That was more important that getting home to eat dinner with your family?" She asked rhetorically.

"Malfoy killed five people." He stated bluntly, "not three like we thought." Hermione, for once in her life, looked like she was at a loss for words.

"Do you know who?" She finally asked. Ron shook his head,

"We've been trying to figure it out all day, which is what took so long. But the number's definitely five." He said decisively.

"How do you know?" She asked skeptically.

"He's got himself a lawyer - somehow the Wizengamot OK'ed it. I don't know how..." he muttered. Hermione cleared her throat and he spoke up again. "Anyway," he continued, "she got up there and told everyone that he murdered five people - but she didn't mention who." Hermione took a deep breath and examined Ron, seeming to try and figure out what to say next. She still had her arms crossed - a very unwelcoming posture. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

"So?" She asked simply. Ron was speechless - was she serious?

"So? What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.

"I mean so what? It was a long time ago, Ron." She pointed out quietly. "A completely different time - you of all people know that. The same rules did not apply."

"What? Of course they did! We were never allowed to kill anyone!" He cried, completely shocked that Hermione would say such a thing.

"Not true." She shook her head, "Harry killed Voldemort."

"What? Of course he did! Voldemort was terrorizing everywhere! Killing everyone! He'd come back from the dead, for Merlin's sake!" Ron cried.

"Harry still killed him, ripped his own soul in half." Hermione said quietly.

"Hermione! This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about! You want him loose?"

"Ron, he's not going to hurt anybody! Isn't the point of prison rehabilitation? He's rehabilitated! Your sister took care of that! And now all you're doing is alienating her from this entire family and it's not right!" Hermione finally yelled.

"She has nothing to do with this!" Ron yelled back.

"Of course she does! She's the reason you're doing this! She's the reason he's back! She's the reason things are the way they are today - the reason you are who you are today! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming her for anything - but you have to admit that she played a large role in all of the events of that time, and this one." Hermione finished forcefully.

"Hermione!" Ron cried in frustration. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm as serious as I've ever been, Ronald Weasley! And don't you take that tone with me!" She yelled angrily. "I don't know what kind of revenge game you're playing, or who exactly you're trying to get back at, but it's failing miserably. Nothing you are doing, or have done in the past week has been anything but detrimental to our lives and our relationship with Ginny and her children. I loved her! She was my best friend, Ron! Why won't you just accept her and get to know who she's become?"

"Because this is NOT how things were supposed to be!" He yelled back.

"How things were supposed to be?" Hermione shot back. "And how exactly were things supposed to be, Ron?"

"Different!" He yelled. "They were supposed to be different! She...she was supposed to stay. She and Harry were supposed to be together...she wasn't supposed to leave..." he finished, sounding utterly defeated. He looked at the wall pointedly, avoiding Hermione's all-knowing eyes. Her arms uncrossed and she shrugged slowly.

"But they're not different, Ron." She said helplessly. "They're not different. You have to stop living in a dream from the past! Things are what they are - that dream is dead, you have to let it go. The reality is that she's married. She has five children! She was happy, Ron. Genuinely happy. You can see it on her face when she talks about it. And the reality is that she's back." Hermione paused to walk a little bit closer to him. His watering eyes looked at her, and all the pain he'd locked away from her departure came flooding back like someone had knocked down a dam.

"And you have made her feel unwanted and unwelcome in her own world - her own family. You can't keep going on like this, or she's never going to forgive you, and frankly, I won't blame her." Hermione said seriously. Ron took a deep breath and tried to avoid feeling all the pain that was flooding back, forget all the memories he thought he'd forgotten, of the day when Hermione found the letters, of the day after when he had to face his mum, of the day after that when he had to face everyone else, and he realized that he'd never actually faced himself. He'd never come to terms with anything that had happened.

"It's my fault..." he whispered sadly. "It's my fault she left."

"Ron, now that's just ridiculous." Hermione said, moving even closer and rubbing his arm comfortingly. "She left for so many different reasons it's hard to count."

"If I'd just...let her fight...let her play Quidditch..."

"If I remember correctly, those were not your decisions." Hermione pointed out.

"But I...could've fought for her...no one fought for her..."

"She did," Hermione said with a nostalgic smile. "She always was a fighter, duel or no duel." Ron finally let his feelings take over, and he fell into Hermione's arms. She patted his back as he just leaned on her, helpless and sad.

"What am I going to do?" He asked her. She always had the answers, surely she would now, too.

"There's nothing you can do." She said seriously. "The best thing you can do is just...back off for now. Don't try and talk to her until your mum and I go - give her some time to cool off. You Weasleys are difficult to calm down, you know." She finished with a bit of a smile.

"Mum? What time is it?" One of the twins asked from the doorway behind them. Ron turned around to see Gideon in his pajamas, ready for bed. He smiled at the little boy and took a deep breath.

"It's almost eight thirty. You just about ready for bed?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but I haven't had a snack yet." He said matter-of-factly. Ron had to chuckle - it was such a Hermione tone, it made him laugh.

There was a lot left to do before he could sleep, including making sure his wife wasn't angry with him anymore, but Ron realized that that didn't much matter. Things needed to get done, and he needed to stop relishing in past failures. Past is past, and we cannot take it back. Ron went to the stairs and called for Fabian, who came bounding down.

As Ron walked back out into the kitchen, he took a deep breath. Tomorrow he would have to bury the hatchet, and tomorrow he would have to make Hermione go to Ginny's. He needed to talk to her, he needed to see her and hug her. But that could wait until tomorrow, because tonight, there were other things he had to do.


	12. Staying StarryEyed

ACK! I'm so sorry this took so long, I'm having a serious case of writers block and confusion. thanks for bearing with me, lol. Look for the next update in a few days - things are SUPER busy right now, and I'm just trying to keep up.

oh, I also realized that I picture Emma as a very Dakota-Fanning-type girl, with blue eyes...I never looked at her eyes, are they blue? Anyway, that small and skinny and confident, lol. Just thought you'd like to know.

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**Chapter Eleven, Staying Starry-Eyed**

_"How can anyone stay starry-eyed,  
when it's raining cats and dogs outside,  
and the rain is saying,  
'now you're on your own'?" -'Once Upon a Time in New York City'_

It took Ginny a few days to recuperate from her visit to Azkaban. Stefanie thought it would be best if Ginny showed up at the trial and stood by Draco, but she just couldn't at the moment. She felt awfully responsible for everything that had happened, and didn't want to be there when that came out. But more importantly, this incredible situation had overshadowed her kids - Mia and Mike had decided to stick around for awhile, but Ginny needed her kids, and vice versa. So she stayed in her house, not going out for anything that wasn't absolutely necessary, for days.

She would take them down to the playground, out on walks, but mostly they just stayed at their house. Stefanie had given Ginny a ring and Draco's Gringott's Key (apparently he'd left them in his dresser drawer), but Ginny had put them right back where they'd been found.

The afternoon the trial was set to begin, Ginny was sitting in her living room doing arts and crafts with Julia and Izzy when Stefanie waltzed into the house as if it were her own.

"Hello!" She sang cheerfully, "Hello, hello. How was everyone's morning? As good as mine, I hope?" Ginny really didn't feel like hearing about the trial, but was curious, in a sense.

"Hi," she said with a small smile. "So it went well?"

"Well?" Stefanie questioned, "it was _magnificent!_ The whole courtroom on the edge of their seats! The show was wonderful! Lights low, audience entranced, Prosecution terrible." She sighed wistfully, "I do love the theatre of it all." Ginny had to giggle at the drama. It was a murder trial, for crying out loud.

"Prosecution? So I assume that means they got themselves some sort of lawyer, too, then?" She asked.

"Oh yes, of course - oh hello there!" Stefanie greeted Mia as she walked in. Mia smiled and sat down next to Julia, who was having a tough time keeping the crayons on the paper. "Anyway," Stefanie continued. "Draco's not too happy about it, but things really are going our way."

"Not too happy about what?" Mia inquired.

"The Prosecution's lawyer. Apparently it's your brother." Stefanie said matter-of-factly. If Ginny hadn't been sitting down, she would've fallen over. What moron would let Ron do that? They were obviously out of their minds. Either that, or the entire universe was one big conspiracy against her.

"My what?" She asked in dibelief.

"Which one?" Mia asked, "I hope it's not the jerk one."

"There's more than one?" Stefanie asked, "oh. Well then...I think his name is Percy. Real uptight, not at all an actor. Or lawyer. Very close professions." She added. Ginny heaved a huge sigh of relief that it wasn't Ron, but then realized that it being Percy was just as bad. At least she'd left on good terms with Ron. She hadn't spoken to Percy in months before she left - he'd denounced their family and chosen the Ministry, and she'd never really forgiven him for that.

Stefanie chatted with Mia for a few minutes about the morning and the trial, and then Stefanie stood up to leave.

"Well, I'd best be off." She sighed with a smile at the kids. "Have to go see the old Uncle Lucius." Ginny's heart stopped beating for a second at that moment, she wasn't sure how to react.

"Alright," Mia smiled, "well, I suppose we'll see you later? Maybe for dinner?" Stefanie smiled back at her - no one seemed to notice Ginny, sitting on the floor, frozen in shock. She had kind of hoped never to run into Lucius Malfoy again.

Mia walked Stefanie out, and Ginny tried to just focus on her daughters.

"Strangers at twelve o'clock!" Mia called from the front door. Ginny got up curiously and went to her to see who had come. When she got there, she saw her mother and Hermione walking timidly up the walkway. When they got to the porch, all four women just sort of stood there, unsure of what to do or say.

"Hi." Ginny said flatly. Mia looked around from woman to woman, confused. Ginny noticed and introduced her briefly, at which point Mia understood the unhidden bitterness in her tone.

"Can we come in for a moment?" Hermione asked. Ginny was about to say that she was busy watering plants or something, but Mia gave her a look and pushed her out of the way, opening the door wide enough to let them in. As they walked into the living room, Ginny glared at her friend, who just gave her a "It was for your own good" look. Mothers. Mothers can always do that. All too well.

As the four women sat there in awkward silence, desperately trying (and failing) to make small talk, the conversation turned to Hogwarts. It began to flow a little easier with talk of the old school and the "good ol' days".

They explained to Mia the Houses, and how things worked in the magical world - she took in every little detail as a fascinating new piece of information, from House colors to the curriculum. It was then that Ginny realized she was a textbook Ravenclaw. As things got easier to talk about, mostly because of Mia's enthusiasm, talk turned to Ginny and Draco.

"So, if you two were in rival Houses," Mia began, "how'd you get together?" She asked curiously. Ginny blushed, knowing that no one really knew that but her and Draco.

"That's a good question," Hermione echoed.

"I don't know," Ginny shied away from the question. "It just sort of happened."

"Don't know how..." her mum muttered.

"Oh, I know _how_." Mia said knowingly, "I just...you know...don't know _how_. If that makes any sense." Ginny giggled.

"It doesn't." She watched Izzy look around at the newcomers and smile shyly, scurrying out of the room once her picture was finished.

"I mean, I can see why you two are together - you're like...the perfect couple. I just don't know the logistics of it...or something." Mia clarified.

"The perfect couple?" Hermione asked with a hint of disgust.

"A Slytherin and a Gryffindor?" Molly said at the same time.

"Well, have you ever thought about what happens when a Slytherin and a Gryffindor get together?" Mia interrupted.

"What?" Ginny and Hermione asked in unison.

"Ever really thought about it? About what happens?" Mia continued excitedly. They shook their heads confusedly and Mia grinned. "Christmas!" She exclaimed. Hermione looked at her as though she were crazy, but Ginny just laughed.

"What?" Mia continued. "Didn't you just say Slytherins and Gryffindors were green and red? Complete opposites on the color wheel, that you'd think would look horrible together, but when you put them together - Christmas! A time of love, hope and charity. ...C'mon. Christmas!" She finished, giggling. Ginny was still laughing, realizing where Mia's mind had gone - as it always did. Seeing the confused looks on her family's faces just made the moment better. At least she and Draco weren't the only ones confused about the connections Mia's mind made sometimes.

"Christmas?" Hermione repeated skeptically. "I think that's a bit different..."

"It is not!" Mia defended. "Things were really bad in the world, and then green and red got together, and now they're better. It's not hard."

"It's different because they were on different sides of a war," Hermione clarified. "The largest power struggle in the history of the Wizarding World. He was a murderer, and she was a Healer."

"See? Opposites!" Mia exclaimed again, pointing this time at Hermione.

"I don't think you understand this war," Hermione said seriously. Ginny's mood had sobered considerably when Hermione had begun to argue with Mia.

"Mione, I think it's you who doesn't understand." She said fairly. "It's meaningless. The entire history of the world is power struggles, this one just happened to have good guys and bad guys. I'm sure another one's already started, and I'm sure Harry's towards the center of it. That's never going to change or end, why don't you see that?"

"Whoa, Marx, slow down there." Mia interrupted. "I don't think that's exactly on the nose..."

"It is!" Ginny said, "It is on the nose. Power struggles are constant - people always want more than what they have, it's just how things are. So does it even matter who's side you're on?"

"Ginny!" Her mum exclaimed.

"No! Really, does it matter? I'm not saying I wanted to run off and become a Death Eater or anything, because I didn't, but in every day...as long as he's with me, does it matter what side he's on? I'm sick of all this 'it's either them or us' rubbish, because he's my husband and I love him! And it's rubbish!" Ginny was getting passionate about her arguement - she'd been thinking about it a lot lately.

"Alright, Karl! We get it! No need to rally the proletariats." Mia said quickly.

"What?" Hermione asked. Mia looked at her quizzically.

"The Communist Manifesto? Karl Marx? Really, it's called reading. You should try it sometime." She finished before looking back at Ginny. That one shot at Hermione broke all tension in the room, and Ginny couldn't help but giggle - someone was telling Hermione she needed to read more. She supposed there was a first for everything. Hermione looked dumbstruck, unable to speak, and her mum looked about the same - they didn't know who this stranger was or why she felt so comfortable being so bold.

"Ginny, please, just come back to the Burrow with us. You can stay there until this is all sorted out." Molly finally broke the silence with a hopeful look. "Maybe even after, if you don't want to come back here."

"Mum," Ginny couldn't believe she had to say this. "I'm not going. I'm staying here, because this is where I live, with my family. Things may not be perfect at the moment, but frankly, things were never perfect."

"But you could stay at the Burrow, we could...catch up, and get to know the kids...you could see everyone..." She pleaded as they stood up to leave.

"Mum..."

"Mrs. Weasley, I hate to say it...well...no I don't...but you know what they say: there's more than one answer to these questions, pointing me in a crooked line." Mia finished seriously.

"Who says that?" She asked.

"The Indigo Girls."

"Who?" Molly asked. Mia just looked around like she'd just met an alien.

"Music...Music group." Molly nodded, but still seemed confused. "It just means that there's more than one way to do this, and you have to let Ginny find her own answers." She took a deep breath, but nodded and bid them goodbye.

When Ginny got back to the living room, she practically fell on the couch from exhaustion.

"Can you watch the kids?" She asked Mia with her eyes closed.

"Sure, why?"

"Because I have to make a trip to Azkaban."

Ginny arrived at Azkaban an hour later, flooing from home. She walked every step reluctantly, thinking about other ways to go about this. She wished she hadn't stormed out the last time she'd been here, and she hoped Draco was alright.

When he finally got to the room she'd been sent to, he looked weaker and sicker than she ever thought he could. His eyes had dark circles around them, and his entire posture was deflated. He looked utterly defeated. When he saw Ginny, though, he almost smiled. A sort of hollow, half-smile, that almost looked like a memory, filtered through fog and mirrors.

She hugged him tight, and he seemed to be thinner than she remembered. His face and clothes were dirty, and his hair was unkempt. The Draco she knew never would have stood for such things, even back in the days when the money in their pocket was all they had to live on.

He held onto her tightly, whispering apologies into her ear hopefully. She didn't say anything - she didn't know what to say. When they broke apart he ran his hand across her cheek and smiled, a little more this time.

"I'm sorry," he said again, softly. "I didn't have a choice. I'm sorry..." She sniffed, but didn't nod. She couldn't condone his actions. She just...couldn't. "I'm glad you came back," he said. She looked up at him and smiled a bit - she was, too. She didn't realize until she saw him how much she missed him, how weird it was to wake up alone, go to bed alone, eat dinner with the kids, alone. But her own words this afternoon had struck her hard - it really didn't matter whose side she was on, so long as she was on his side. That was way too cheesy for her to say out loud, so she just went to visit him. She hugged him a few times, not wanting to leave again after realizing how lonely she'd been, but she didn't have much to say.

"I hear the trial's going well," She said conversationally. Draco's face fell a bit, and he shrugged.

"So she says." He replied flatly.

"I heard about your father." She whispered. He looked away, knowing full well what she was talking about, and took a deep breath.

"Yeah." Was all he said. She looked at him pointedly. It was_his_ father. Shouldn't Draco have known something like that? Why would his father do that? Ginny realized she had so many questions, and that Draco probably knew the answers to half of them. "What?" He asked, finally seeing her looking up at him. "Don't look at me, I was kind of hoping he was dead."

"Draco!" She chided.

"What?" He asked innocently. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Where is he? Do you know? Does he know you're back?"

"Red, _everyone_ knows I'm back. And you're back. And we're back. Haven't you been reading the Daily Prophet?"

"What? No, of course not. I stopped reading that load of garbage when I was fourteen." She said with disgust. Draco smirked - Ginny could see him slowly returning to himself before her eyes. She smiled at the thought.

"The poor, abused boy from the rich yet neglectfulfamily is the talk of the town." He said amusedly. Her jaw dropped just a little before she caught it and just rolled her eyes.

"You're kidding." She said, but he shook his head. She rolled her eyes again, realizing she really should be keeping up on that, even if it was a load of garbage.

"I'm not sure if Rita Skeeter called Stefanie or vice versa, but they're talking." He told her.

"Ugh, must they? That women doesn't ever get a story right."

"She will when it's this big of a deal to Stefanie. She prints one libellous word about any of us and she's out of work for the rest of her life. Stefanie's always been a force to be reckoned with. Apparently now she's got connections - you should hear her." Ginny smiled as he rambled. He usually didn't do that, but she could understand how the circumstances would change some things.

"So...you haven't talked to your father?" She steered the conversation back to where she'd planned for it to go. His face fell, but he shook his head.

"I didn't know he was alive until this morning." He admitted.

"Where is he?" She pressed.

"I don't know,"

"What's he doing? And your mother?" She kept going - she had a million questions. Finally, he put his hand on her arm to get her attention.

"Red, I don't _know_. I haven't been tapping into the grape vine in here - I'm not exactly popular." He said flatly, not looking at her. There was a hint of something in his voice, something she figured she didn't want to know about, so she didn't ask. She just muttered an apology and laid her head on his shoulder. Being in his arms again felt like home, she just closed her eyes. No matter how long they'd been apart, how far away he'd been or what had happened in between, being with him was just the way things were supposed to be.

The way things were supposed to be. This was certainly not the way things were supposed to be, but they were strangely right. She couldn't help but think that things were exactly the way they were really meant to be. Had she known her fate as a star-struck eleven year old, she might've committed suicide. But knowing now what she didn't know then made her comfortable and content.

She realized that he was going to be in there for a long time, maybe even forever. They might even give him the Kiss. She tried not to imagine life without him, but couldn't help it - Damon and Emma graduating from Hogwarts without him, Emma walking down the isle without him, having kids and grandkids without him...living daily life without him...she nearly cried as she felt her entire body get weaker. Had she not been so close to Draco, she wouldn't have felt him waiver and fall over, nearly taking her with him.

He groaned and yelled, his eyes shut tight. She was terrified - she didn't know who he was yelling at or why, it was just a bunch of garbled sounds. As he began to thrash and roll around, and she began to cry, the door opened and two dementors glided in. Ginny watched them drag Draco out, and she nearly fell to her knees in anguish.

A small voice in the back of her head told her she was stronger than that, and that crying wouldn't do any good. As she stood there, weak in the knees and ready to break down, the voice got stronger, and started yelling at her.

After a few moments she began to realize that she really was stronger than that. Crying was going to get her nowhere. She took a deep breath and stared at the door - Draco would be fine. He was strong, determined, and he had purpose. He needed to get out of jail because he needed to take care of his family, and because she needed to take care of him. Fate had always been on their side, and it would be on their side this time, too. It would never have brought them this far if it was supposed to end like this. She knew she couldn't be held responsible for the murders he'd committed so long ago, and that, on most occasions, neither could he. She decided that she wouldn't be held responsible, she had to stop feeling so guilty for things that were so far out of her control. Was it her fault she was stubborn? That her family wanted to protect her so much they smothered her? That Draco cared about her so much he...

"Everything's ok in the end." Ginny muttered determinedly to herself. "If it's not ok, it's not the end." She took another, deep and calming breath as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate, popping in her mouth, kicking herself for not giving it to Draco. Next time.

She walked out of the prison and flooed home to see everyone had already eaten dinner. She decided that the world, fate and everything else that needed her could wait until tomorrow, because tonight she had other priorities, and she needed them just as much as they needed her.


	13. Something Strong

holy guacamole! wow, it's been awhile. I'm so sorry! is partly to blame though, they wouldn't let me sign in for awhile, that was sad. cheneeway. I'm back! Things might be picking up, but I dunno. We're going ok, so far. we'll see. :) REVIEW! glomp

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**Chapter Twelve, Something Strong  
**_  
"And you can't fight the tears that ain't comin,  
Or the moment of truth in your lies.  
When everything feels like the movies,  
yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive." -'Iris', GooGoo Dolls  
_

Harry walked confidently into the courtroom with an unusually quiet Ron in tow. It had been only a day since he'd been moaning and groaning about how Malfoy always gets his way, and Malfoy's got everyone in his pocket, and Malfoy brainwashed her - Harry didn't want to mention his silence in case that brought it to his attention, and he started up again.

So he just left Ron alone, hoping that the spell wasn't just a phase, that it would last for at least until the trial was over - then maybe Harry could maintain some semblance of sanity.

They sat down together behind Percy's table - he happened to be there already, just sitting there, still. The Rousseau woman at the other table was busy scribbling on a piece of parchment, talking to Draco, who'd just been dragged in and turning around to talk to --

Ginny. Ginny was there. Harry saw her and his heart nearly stopped - it always had when she was around. Even now, after all these years, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She lit up a room like no one else could, and seeing her so anxious and hurt broke his heart. He tried to shake out the memories of her he had, of her last year at Hogwarts. He'd been an immature little prat is what he'd been, and he felt entirely guilty for her leaving. He had never really said that aloud, because everyone seemed to be feeling that way, but if he had just been her friend...actually been a _friend_ to her instead of alienating her...maybe things would be different. Maybe she would've accepted Healing as a profession and stuck around to see him battle and defeat Voldemort. Maybe...

Harry shook his head, realizing he was getting carried away - and he was staring. He looked up towards the front as Katie Bell and the others on the Wizengamot took their places - he remembered the days when they played Quidditch together, and had to smile at those memories. She was a vicious Chaser - she'd helped them win the House Cup.

After another minute or so, Katie slowly called the court to order - that hadn't always been in the job description (trials were rarely this popular or covered, even back when all the other Death Eaters were being tried) so it was a bit awkward for her, but Katie took it in stride. Harry thought about the publicity of this ordeal - whoever his publicist was, they were doing a good job. The media hadn't printed one word describing him as at all bad - not 'murderer', 'evil', or even 'voluntary Death Eater'. It irked Harry, but he figured that Ron would be upset enough for the both of them, so he tried to let it go. There had been only a few articles about it, one printed this morning describing yesterday's opening statements - talking about how the Ministry screwed up, and how could they miss two people, and who were these people - all ridiculous things that Harry knew were about to be revealed anyway. Nobody had any patience anymore. He could faintly heard Dumbledore laughing at that thought, and he had to smile. His old mentor was never far from his thoughts, and it helped him take all of life in stride.

Since Percy had very little clue about what his job was, or what he was really supposed to be doing, Draco's lawyer took the lead and called Draco to the stand. Harry found it odd that everyone was willing to listen to him, when so many had been put away without so much as a sentencing hearing.

"So, Mr. Malfoy," Rousseau began formally. Harry saw Draco give her a look that said she was being ridiculous, and was a little confused at Draco's obvious nonchalance.

"Fine, Draco." She corrected, narrowing her eyes at him. Harry watched them stare at each other, and could nearly see the chemistry between them. He wondered how long they'd known each other, because she was obviously not just his lawyer. It made him worry about Ginny, because Rousseau was quite attractive, but he knew it was none of his business.

"So, Draco," Rousseau continued. "Yesterday I said you killed five people." Harry saw Draco stiffen, and began to realize how different he was to the boy Harry had known so many years ago.

She paused, waiting for Draco to say something, but he seemed to be refusing to cooperate. She glared at him, as if urging him to say something, but he sat there rigidly, his cool demeanor nowhere in sight. She forced a smile at the Wizengamot before she continued.

"Would you mind naming them for the court?" She asked sweetly. Harry could see her impatience swelling, but Draco seemed unphased. Had the entire world not been waiting to hear his answer, even Harry might've found the defiance amusing.

"I would prefer not to," Draco muttered, glaring at Rousseau. She glared back at him and walked right up to him, hissing in a low voice that Harry could barely make out, even though he was sitting so close.

"God helps those who help themselves." She spat angrily.

"Maybe I don't want your help." He shot back.

"Oh yeah? And what should I tell Ginny? That you'd rather rot in jail then see your children?" That seemed to shut him up, but nothing had ever quelled Malfoy's rage. Harry was amazed at their interaction, it was almost like they were siblings.

"So, could you name the five people?" She said, clearing her throat so everyone could hear. Draco sighed heavily and looked down at the ground - something Harry had never, ever seen him do before. His change in character was really beginning to creep Harry out - where was the attitude? The arrogance? The unmitigated Malfoy sneer?

"Eric Munch, Mafalda Hopkirk, Kenneth Towler..." Draco paused.

"Continue," Rousseau said through gritted teeth. Draco looked up at her and put his elbows on his knees, leaning forward.

"Antonin Dolohov and Theodore Nott." He said loudly. A murmur arose in the courtroom.

"Wait..." Ron said, turning to Harry. "They're Death Eaters!" He exclaimed.

"Well, they _were,_" Harry pointed out. "Maybe they betrayed the cause or something." He shrugged.

"Order!" Katie called, banging a gavel. "Now...what?" She asked, turning to Draco and quietly ordering a secretary to go pull up their files.

"Antonin Dolohov and Theodore Nott." Draco repeated, louder this time.

"But weren't they Death Eaters?" Someone towards the back of the Wizengamot asked. Draco seemed entirely offended by this, in his own very Malfoy way. He smirked and shook his head, looking up towards wherever the person was.

"So...what? Do they not count because they were Death Eaters? Nott had a family - he was a husband and a father. Does his involvement negate that role?" He asked bitterly. Harry could hear the cynical tone of his voice, and felt guilty for thinking - even for a split second - that their murders really didn't matter as much, because they were Death Eaters.

Interrupting everybody's thoughts, Rousseau cleared her throat.

"Draco, could you tell us about the deaths of Mafalda Hopkirk, Eric Munch, Kenneth Towler and Theodore Nott?" She asked, her back to him - talking more to her audience than anyone. Seeming like she was trying to tell them to pay attention.

"He wanted to see if I could handle it." Draco said seriously.

"Handle what?" Rousseau prompted.

"Killing a person." Draco said after a moment of silence.

"So what happened?"

"He..." Draco paused, urged on only by another glare from Rousseau, and an unreadable glance at Ginny. Harry looked over at her, only now noticing two blonde kids at her side, nudging and whispering to eachother. Harry saw how strong she was trying to be, and how brave. He also saw how nervous and scared she was, and wondered why she was there at all.

"He wanted some Ministry workers dead. And he wanted to know why I hadn't killed Dumbledore. So he sent me out with Bellatrix, and we..."

"Draco, were there any real mitigating circumstances?" After a pause she rephrased. "What exactly did Bellatrix do?"

"She held her wand at my back to make sure the job got done."

"And what would have happened had you not killed those people?" Rousseau prodded. Draco glanced back at Ginny, but quickly looked at his lawyer.

"I would have been killed." He said simply.

"If Voldemort wanted Ministry workers dead, why did he order the murder of one of his own?"

"He wanted Nott dead because he was being reckless. And it was another test for me." The indifference in Draco's voice put Harry on edge - he couldn't understand how anyone could be so emotionless when talking about murders they'd committed. Then again, Harry had only ever killed one person, and that didn't really count since he'd already come back from the dead.

"Now let's move on to Antonin Dolohov's unfortunate demise." Draco put his head in his hands, but quickly masked his reluctance by sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Can you tell me about the night Dolohov was murdered?" She asked him, moving away from him so that everyone could see and hear him.

"It was a pretty big battle. In some wood somewhere, I don't quite remember. A clearing of some sort where everyone fought." That was obviously not what Rousseau wanted to hear, because when he stopped, she turned around with a sweet smile on her face.

"I'm going to have to beat it out of you, aren't I?" She hissed.

"Yes." He spat back. She sighed and rolled her eyes, and Harry's curiosity was peaked.

"Fine. What were you doing when you killed Dolohov?" She asked pointedly.

"Committing murder." He answered unhelpfully. She looked like she was about to committ murder, with the way he was cooperating. She turned to him and forced another smile.

"How long had you been dating Miss Ginevra Weasley?" She asked pointedly. Harry could feel Ron's eyes bug out next to him, and felt it wise not to turn to him and look. He, too, though, felt as if a knife had been thrust into his chest. He hadn't felt so strongly about much of anything in a long time, but Rousseau's implication that Ginny and Draco had dated...for a long time... and then he remembered her 'secret boyfriend'. He remembered her stealing his invisibility cloak. He remembered trying to spy on her. Every memory that came back just made him feel worse about himself and the situation. He hadn't acted in the most mature manner, but Ginny...Ginny had dated Malfoy while he was actively fighting as a Death Eater. That was not only unbelievable, but nearly unforgiveable.

"A few months, I suppose." He replied.

"And what made you go to the scene where you found Dolohov, just before you killed him?" She prodded. He sighed and looked up at her wearily.

"I'd been trying to keep an eye on her, but...I heard her screaming. When I found her, he was torturing her and she was unconscious."

"She being Ginevra?"

"Yes." He answered flatly.

"Why did you kill him instead of knocking him out?" This seemed to be a part of the story Draco really didn't want to go into.

"I'd taken off my mask. He knew who I was, he'd seen me. It was the first thing I could think of that wouldn't get either of us killed, and she was already unconscious..."

"So you killed him?"

"Yes."

"And then what did you do?"

"I tried to revive her, but I couldn't. I left her at the edge of the clearing where someone would find her." Harry's heart nearly stopped as he listened to the story. He remembered that night. He remembered that battle. He remembered finding Ginny's lifeless form at the edge of the clearing...

"And did someone find her?" Rousseau asked compassionately.

"Obviously." He scoffed. Rousseau glared at him, and they paused. Harry took the time to run over in his memory everything that had happened that night - it was fuzzy, all those battles seemed to bleed together in his memory, he preferred not remembering them.

Rousseau was visibly keeping her own temper under control. Harry was amazed at how much they got to each other - how frustrated they both were.

"So you killed Antonin Dolohov to save Ginevra? And then moved her to a place, where you knew she'd be found and cared for in order to protect her?"

"Yes." He answered simply.

"Draco, do you know Ron Weasley?" She asked curiously. Half of Harry wanted to perk up to see where this was going, and the other half of him knew he didn't want to know.

"Of course I do."

"Was he the one that arrested you?"

"One of two." He answered, evading the question.

"Draco, why did you run away in the first place?" Rousseau's questions were all over the place, Harry was having trouble making the connections in his head. He couldn't help but think, though, that there was some sort of method to her madness.

"I didn't want to stay." He answered simply.

"Why not?"

"I couldn't live that life."

"You mean a life of deceit, murder and violence?"

"Yes,"

"If you had stayed and graduated from Hogwarts, what would've happened to your relationship?"

"It would've ended."

"Because you were graduating?" Draco paused and looked straight at Ron and Harry. Harry was on the edge of his seat waiting to hear the answer to his question - he thought it would be 'yes', but the look Malfoy was giving Ron made him think 'no'.

"Because of my assignment," If looks could kill, Stefanie would've had power over the world. She took a deep breath as she walked back to her uncooperative client.

"Which was...?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"To kill her brother." A gasp went throughout the courtroom, and everyone started talking.

"You mean Ron Weasley." Stefanie clarified, and Draco nodded. Stefanie walked over to them and smiled at Harry. She turned to Ron and sighed.

"You look well today, Mr. Weasley." She chirped. "I'm glad." Harry and Ron looked at each other, neither of them could speak.

"So," Rousseau continued. "Your task was obviously left undone. Mr. Weasley is alive and well, and here today. He was one of the men who arrested you. He, in fact, was the one who dug out your eleven year old arrest warrant and apparated to your home. He was the one who threw you in jail. Wow. Nice guy." She finished, shaking her head.

"He didn't know that was my assignment." Draco pointed out.

"He became an overzealous Auror, with no compassion."

"Maybe, but he lived to do it."

"He lived to arrest you."

"He's got a family now."

It got to the point where Harry wasn't sure who's side he was on. He liked Rousseau, and Draco was defending Ron, but Malfoy's job had been to kill Ron...Harry wasn't sure his feet were on the ground anymore, either. He looked down, just to make sure.

"So you let Ron Weasley live, because you didn't want to lead a life of murder, violence and deceit? Or because you loved his sister, and killing him would, pardon the phrase, kill her?" She asked pointedly. Draco took a deep breath and kept a stony look on his face.

"Both, I suppose." Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was openly crying. He'd only ever seen her cry once before, and that was a long time ago - she rarely cried. Her two kids flanked her sides now and they were all holding each other - a brilliantly beautiful picture - and they both looked too concerned with their mother to focus on their father. Harry supposed it was better that way - he'd never want children that young exposed to something like this, no matter what he'd learned at their age.

"Is it fair to say that your relationship with Ron Weasley has never been good?" Rousseau asked, looking at Ron as opposed to Draco.

"Relationship?" Draco responded with a small chuckle. "I suppose that's one way to put it."

"You two were, in fact, arch enemies in school?" Draco took a deep breath and cleared his face of all emotion, but Harry was focused on Rousseau and where she was going with this line of questioning.

"Something like that," Draco answered cautiously.

"He hasn't let that go yet, has he? Can you relate to us the events of your visit to his childhood home with your family? What, specifically, happened when he arrived?"

"He wasn't too happy to see me, or his sister." Draco responded firmly - but there was a hint of something Harry couldn't identify in his voice.

"He seemed to still be holding a grudge against you?" Draco shifted and cleared his throat.

"I suppose."

"And that night he went back to his office to seek out an arrest warrant, didn't he? Because he's doing his job, or because he's an overzealous Auror who cares little for anyone but himself?" Rousseau continued aggressively. Draco stared at her with a blank face - the kind he used to get in school when someone he didn't like or respect was talking. Harry was about to stand up in Ron's defense when he looked over to his friend. Ron's eyes were wide and his face bright red. Fact was, Ron _had_ been a bit overzealous when it came to seeking out Draco's arrest warrant. So many people had thought he was dead, it had never gotten properly filed. Nobody cared about fulfilling it so many years later, but Ron had insisted on it.

Now both men were frozen in their seats, unsure of what to do when they heard an angry growl from the stand.

"Stefanie." Draco hissed softly. Harry had to squint and crane his neck to make out what Draco was saying - his lips were barely moving, but his tone was clear - he was not happy.

"Knock it off," he warned her. She just smirked a smirk that reminded Harry far too much of Draco as she skipped back to her table to look at a piece of parchment.

"I'm serious." Draco said loudly before looking at Percy. "Why aren't you objecting?" Percy stiffened after being addressed.

"Objection!" He cried. Draco rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"On what grounds?" Katie asked dutifully. Apparently at least one someone had done their homework. Harry craned his neck again to see what was on Percy's table, and sure enough, it had nothing to do with trials, this trial, or Draco. It was reports about the import/exports of different countries and their currencies. Percy never did have his priorities straight.

"Erm..." he stuttered, looking at Draco, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She's not allowed to do that!" Katie Bell looked around at her colleagues and shrugged. Stefanie immediately apologized as she shrugged and moved back to Draco.

"Don't do that again," he hissed. Harry couldn't help but glance at Ginny - he figured she'd be a wreck now that Draco's lawyer was attacking her brother. He was surprised to find, though, a smile on her face. She seemed almost to be giggling through her tears. Her son - Damon, he remembered - was sitting with one hand dutifully on Ginny's arm, an indifferent expression on his face. Emma, however, seemed to be giggling uncontrollably. She was about to roll off of her seat when Ginny stopped her and gave her a stern look. Emma protested, saying something that obviously amused Ginny, but she lost the war.

Harry turned his attention back to the front of the room as Percy stood up.

"So, you say that your Aunt held a wand to your back to make you committ those murders." He said mechanically.

"Calling her my Aunt is a bit of a stretch, but yes," Draco replied.

"That she would kill you if you didn't perform the task at hand."

"Most likely."

"She was your mother's sister, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that? Your Aunt would take your life?" Percy scoffed with a smile. Draco gave him a look that Harry knew well, but couldn't define.

"You obviously don't know Bella." He said seriously.

"Bellatrix Lestrange? Oh, I think we all know Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Then you know that she doesn't care about anyone except the Dark Lord - whether he's alive or dead."

"The Dark Lord?" Percy inquired curiously. "Why do you call him that?"

"Self preservation." Draco answered cautiously.

"Certainly you don't believe you're under any threat at the current moment - his name is used by most today."

"Habit." Draco replied flatly.

"You say that you left Ginny Weasley unconscious at the edge of a forest, is that correct?" Percy asked. Draco muttered something under his breath and rolled his eyes, but Harry couldn't make it out.

"That's correct."

"Wouldn't it have been better to seek medical care for her immediately?"

"Yes." Draco responded without missing a beat.

"And you didn't because...?"

"Because I was a Death Eater and being even that close endangered us both enough. I wasn't about to risk either of our lives when I knew she'd be alright." Percy looked at Draco with a patronizing look on his face and nodded.

"I see," he said, amused. He turned and walked back to his table, sitting down and going back to whatever he was reading. Rousseau looked up at him curiously, laughed a bit and then gestured for Draco to come down from the stand. She stood up and smiled at the Wizengamot.

"I would like to call Harry Potter to the stand." She said clearly. Harry blinked and looked at Ron.

"What did she say?" He asked. Ron's eyes were just as wide as his were, and he shrugged. Harry reluctantly got up and sat down in the chair Draco had just been sitting in, realizing for the first time just how many people there were. Too many. He gulped.

"Mr. Potter, I don't have many questions to ask you, but seeing as you were integral to the fall of Lord Voldemort, you would be the best equipped to handle them." Harry looked at her for the first time and saw her smile sweetly. He just nodded.

"Now, I'm curious as to how the legal system worked in England at the time of Voldemort's fall. You, being an Auror, arrested as many Death Eaters as you could, correct?"

"Correct," Harry answered. "The ones we were sure of."

"The ones you were sure of," Rousseau smiled sweetly. "And they were put on trial?"

"Kind of," Harry nodded. "Not like this. There weren't so many people there, and mostly they were sent to Azkaban."

"Mostly?"

"Well, some of them gave up names of fellow Death Eaters, some made deals, and some hadn't committed any crimes we could hold them for."

"What do you mean when you say they gave up names?" Rousseau asked, looking at Harry. He looked around at everyone in the courtroom for the right answer, but couldn't find one in anyone's face.

"I mean...they just told us who they worked with. Who did what and when."

"And that's how you came to know my client's name?" She asked. Harry nodded. "I see. So your information could be entirely false." Harry looked around, confused. His information obviously wasn't false - Draco had confessed to all the murders. "I understand this specific information isn't false," she clarified, "but it could be."

"I suppose it could be." He shrugged. She smiled again at him.

"One last question." She said, moving back towards her table. "How many names on average were enough to warrant an acquittal?" Harry considered this - and realized it wasn't nearly enough.

"Three or four." He said. Times had been so desperate even one name was a triumph. Looking back it almost sounded pathetic.

"Thank you." Rousseau said, gesturing for him to step down. He did so tentatively, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Percy and Rousseau approached the Wizengamot, and Harry sat back down next to Ron.

"What do you think they're going to do?" Ron asked nervously. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno, wonder what they're talking about." Harry replied nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on Katie Bell.

"I dunno," Ron replied cautiously. "Things were so quiet before they came back...maybe...maybe it would've been better if they just hadn't." He said. Harry looked at him as if he were crazy. This was not the Ron he'd come to know over the years - not the one he'd worked with through dinner yesterday.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, incredibly offended that Ron could even think about such a thing. Harry had always dreamed about when Ginny would come back, the day she finally realized what she'd done. Ron just shook his head solemnly.

"I don't know." he replied. "It's just not worth it. All this. We were all beginning to forget everything, things were finally becoming normal. Maybe things would've been better off. This is all just a show anyway, to show a new generation of children a glimpse of the past. At least that's the only productive thing that's coming out of this ordeal." Harry gaped at his friend. Of course that logic was sound and his reasoning correct, but...Ron had never really been one for sound logic and rationale.

"Are you serious?" Was all Harry could manage to get out. Ron just looked at him and shrugged.

"I dunno." He replied. A moment later the court was called back to order and the lawyers went back to their tables.

"Court will reconvene tomorrow morning at nine o'clock." Katie announced.

With that, everyone rushed out of the courtroom - reporters had to get their articles into the evening's paper, radio hosts had to immediately relay the events, and everyone else just had to get home.

Harry noticed Ginny walking out of the courtroom with her children and Rousseau. He almost went up to her to greet her, but he knew these were not ideal circumstances and that he should wait until another time.

He thought about what Ron said. About how things would be better if Ginny hadn't come back. Granted, her coming back with five kids and a husband was not exactly what Harry'd had in mind, but he did love seeing her again. Seeing her smile, hearing her laugh. He wanted to be the one she loved, despite it all.

He walked out of the courtroom and parted ways with Ron - he needed a drink, alone. Something strong.


	14. Stupid

HI GUYS! Ack, I didn't think I'd be back so soon! hehe, I really like this chapter, although we do have a few ground rules I need to go over.

1. Alex is not emo, he's a middle child. Get it right or pay the price! ((remember Saulte Your Shorts?))  
2. If you call Alex emo, unjustly unhappy, stupid - anything negative, I might just have to...be really mad at you.  
3.Remember that none of these opinions of certain characters by any means reflect my personal views of England, or even New Jersey for that matter.  
4. He's 8 (oo, that'll catch ya, right? ...nevermind) - his grammar and vocabulary cannot be expected to be perfect.  
5. hoyeah, 'Star Wars poster on my bedroom door' does not come anywhere near "my territory", as you can plainly see. It's Everclear.  
6. Alex says 'soccer' and 'Mom' because he was born and raised in America and that's how we _doo_ it here, you crazy foreigners :P  
7. Oh! The Places You'll Go! is Dr. Seuss. Also not mine. And yes it DOES take that long to read three Dr. Seuss books, especially if they're being read by an 8 year old who isn't such a hot reader.  
8. I repeat: be nice to Alex in your reviews.

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**Chapter Thirteen, Stupid**

_"I want the things that I had before,  
like a Star Wars poster on my bedroom door.  
I wish I could count to ten,  
make everything be wonderful again," -'Wonderful', Everclear_

July fifteenth. Alex stared at the calendar, at that date. Circled in red. That meant a birthday. His birthday. Birthdays were always circled in red so his dad would remember to get up early and make special breakfasts and stuff, and his mom would get up early and decorate.

Alex looked around. No Dad. No Mom. No Special Breakfast. No Decorations. Nothing. Not even a 'happy birthday!' from his Mom on her way out the door. She'd even taken Damon and Emma with her. Again.

Damon would've remembered. If he were here. But he wasn't. Cause he got to go out and Alex didn't.

Alex sulked around the house for most of the morning, hoping the wind would change or something like that. Hoping someone would remember. He wondered what they thought about him while he wasn't there, what they really thought about him. Maybe they forgot cause they just didn't care enough to remember. He was only turning eight, what's the big deal about eight? It's not double-digits, he's not going off to Hogwarts, he's not a teenager or schoolage. He was just in the middle.

Alex always hated being in the middle, he liked being off to the side. He liked being noticed on his birthday.

He sulked back into the kitchen after lunch - people had been so preoccupied the last few days, no one but him had even glanced at the calendar. Mia had just acted like it was any old day, and Mike had been too busy fussing over Julia (who'd decided, because of the day, to be especially annoying) to notice Alex at all.

Izzy was intent on going to the playground this afternoon, but Alex was intent on sulking. He knew that people would just ignore him if he sulked, and that was sort of not what he wanted...he wanted attention. He wanted someone to realize what they'd all done. He wanted his Mom to come home. And his Dad.

He hated the move. He wanted to go home. He hated stupid England, stupid school, stupid magic. What was wrong with the way things were? Why'd they have to leave? There was nothing wrong. He missed his friends and his school, and even being left behind by Damon and Emma. He wanted to go back, to tell his parents that he didn't care about magic - he wanted to go to sports camp. He'd finally been old enough for sports camp last year and now he doesn't get to go anymore! He loved playing soccer and all that other stuff - but especially soccer.

Alex decided that it was boring and dark inside, so he took his silent laments outside. He liked observing people, thinking about who they are and where they're from, and how they'd react if he told them his family forgot his birthday. And that he couldn't see his friends anymore, at all.

There was one particular man he found interesting. He looked weird. He walked so it looked like he was taller than he really was, and he had a cane even though he wasn't that old. His hair was really long and all white, longer than any man's Alex had ever seen - he thought the man looked funny. And the way he walked just made Alex want to giggle, but he was too caught up in his sulking to smile, so he just watched.

He knew that if he told that man about his birthday, he probably wouldn't even respond. He looked so caught up in...whatever was on his nose, that he didn't look like he noticed anything else. So it surprised Alex when the weird man turned down his walkway, and looked at him.

Alex sat up a little straighter, stopped sulking, and just stared back with an indifferent expression on his face. The man looked at him, then looked around him, and then he started walking towards Alex. Alex couldn't believe it - who was he? As he got closer, Alex still couldn't reognize him.

"Hello," the man said when he finally stopped in front of Alex's seat on the front steps.

"Hi," Alex replied. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but Mia was just inside and she wasn't paying attention to him...and this man wasn't scary, he was just weird.

"Is your father home?" He asked evenly.

"No." Alex looked at him, and decided his original assessment was right - this man was weird. The man looked around,

"Well then is your mother home?"

"No." The man just looked at him with a weird look Alex couldn't identify. Kind of the same way Emma looked when she was looking at broccli, but a little different. "Why do you look like that?" He asked. The man looked surprised,

"Excuse me?" The man asked, another weird look on his face.

"You kind of look like Emma looks when she's looking at broccli," he explained. "but not really."

"Oh? And what do I look like?"

"I dunno. Kind of like her, but different. Do you not like me?" Alex asked curiously.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, cause Emma doesn't like broccli, and you're kinda looking like her. Maybe it's cause you don't like me." He said fairly.

"It would be unfair of me to make a decision about you before I even know your name." The man said in the same way his dad used to talk about some of the customers at the diner he definitely didn't like. Alex realized that this man really didn't like him much.

"My name's Alex."

"Alexander?" The man asked.

"Well, yeah, but nobody but my _dad_ calls me that." He said, rolling his eyes. He hated being called Alexander.

"If that's your name, it's what you should be called." The man said with a smirk. THAT was something Alex could recognize. His dad did it all the time. Sometimes he even got yelled at for it by his mom. Alex couldn't help but giggle at the man's familiar smirk. He raised an eyebrow - another thing Alex's dad did, which just made Alex giggle more.

After a few minutes, Alex realized the man wasn't laughing, even though he seemed like he wanted to, almost. Alex stopped giggling and looked up at him.

"Why are you out here all alone?" the man asked. Alex looked up at him. Usually when someonecame out to try and make him feel better(and this seemed to happen to him a lot), they'd sit next to him. But not this man - he just stood there, waiting. Alex looked around behind him, thinking there might be someone else there, and that's why the man wasn't sitting down, but he didn't see anyone. And then he remembered his sulking, and so he began sulking again, shrugging a little bit to answer his question.

The man cleared his throat and Alex looked up. He looked like Emma again, with the broccli.

The man straightened his robe and stood up straighter. He looked really angry, and he almost said something, but Alex was too wide-eyed with surprise at his initial anger that he stopped paying attention for a second.

"Do you know when your father will be home? I need to speak with him." Alex, still wide-eyed, just shook his head.

"You should reply when someone speaks to you." The man instructed, obviously frustrated. Alex gulped.

"Ok." Was all he could say. The man looked really angry now.

"Yes_sir_," he corrected.

"Huh?"

"You should address your elders as _'sir'_." He said, getting madder.

"Um...ok." Why? That didn't make a whole lot of sense in Alex's head. The only time he'd ever heard 'sir' was when he was watching G.I. Joe reruns. And he only ever used it when he was playing with his G.I. Joes.

"I suppose I'll just have to return at some point when your parents _are _home." The man just looked at him with a very angry look, looked up at his house and walked away. Alex watched him go and was bewildered at the man's response. He'd been right. He hadn't even known this man, but he'd been right! That made him feel a little better. Even if he hadn't exactly told him that his family forgot his birthday and everything, he knew from the way the man acted in all the other times that he wouldn't have cared.

Alex watched the empty street - in New Jersey, during the summer, there was _always _somebody walking by. Not in stupid England. Nobody ever walked down the street here. Stupid street.

He quickly got bored without the man there, and he retreated into the house, up to his new room. He hated his new room. He left his Star Wars poster on his old bedroom door - his dad had offered to bring it, but that was his bedroom! Even though he stayed in it all alone when everyone else got to share a room with someone. He liked his Star Wars poster and he missed it. It wouldn't fit in in stupid England anyway. It didn't belong here.

He sulked on his bed and stared at his blank door. He still had his own room. And when Damon went off to school this year and his Aunt Mia and Uncle Mike left, the house would be even MORE empty. He didn't understand why everyone had to leave all of a sudden. He thought it was stupid.

Alex sat there for longer than he thought he could, until he heard some yelling from downstairs. He was curious and so he went to the stairs and sat on them, looking down at the front door through the bars.

"_Oooohhh_! I can't believe it!" His Aunt Mia screamed. He saw his mom walk in behind Damon and Emma, but then she was followed by some lady and his dad. He smiled - he hadn't seen his dad in forever!

"Dad!" He cried softly, a smile creeping across his face. Surely his dad would realize it was July fifteenth. He stood up and jumped down the rest of the stairs, landing gracefully on the wood floor. Izzy and Julia had beaten him, though. Of course - they were littler, faster, and had been closer to start. So he waited his turn and gave his dad a hug.

After he did he looked up and smiled at his dad. He looked way different. Almost like one of the zombies from Scooby Doo, but not really. A little more human than that, but kinda like that. He looked really really tired.

Alex didn't say any of this, cause he didn't want to make his dad feel bad or say something wrong, but he wished they could just go back to New Jersey now. It was so much better there. He didn't care why his dad was home, he just knew that now his family was whole again, so they could leave.

As time went on, Alex realized that no one was going to remember his birthday. There was a celebration, that was for sure. But it wasn't for him. It was for his dad, and that weird lady that Emma kept talking to. They looked like friends.

So after dessert he went back up to his room, sulking. He put on his PJs without being asked, brushed his teeth and went tothe bathroom without being asked. He even pulled out three bedtime stories before he climbed up onto his new bed and started to try and read them.

He'd never been a terrific reader, but tonight he was determined to go to bed without anyone's help. They didn't notice him so he wasn't gonna bother with them either. He knew they'd probably just think he was a 'good little boy' for going to bed on his own. Which just made him madder.

As he was trying to read _Oh! The Places You'll Go! _he gave up. He threw the book on the floor and pushed his other two books on the floor. He couldn't read the stupid made-up words and he didn't want to anymore. Reading was stupid, England was stupid, birthdays were stupid, families were stupid, strange men were stupid...he couldn't help but think he was stupid, too.

But he wasn't the one who'd forgotten his birthday.

He climbed under the covers and closed his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep. He laid there for what felt like hours - everyone was probably already in bed - before he heard his door crack. He opened his eyes but laid staring at the wall. He felt someone sit on his bed but he still didn't move.

"Hey," his dad said softly. "You alright?" Alex didn't answer, but he did turn over. His dad was smiling, as much as he ever did. He still looked like a zombie.

"When can we go home?" He asked sadly. His dad closed his eyes and hung his head before looking back up at him.

"This is our home now."

"But this place is _stupid_!"

"Alexander," his dad said warningly, "what have I told you about saying that?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"You said not to call stuff stupid anymore."

"This place isn't stupid, it's just different. We just have to get used to something different." His dad said evenly.

"But I don't want anything different! I want my Star Wars poster!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Alexander, we can buy you a new poster."

"I don't want a new poster! I want to go home!" He yelled. "I hate this place! I hate this stupid world and these stupid people! I hate this house! I hate England and I hate --" Alex stopped himself just in time. He almost said 'birthdays', but that would've given it all away. He couldn't just come out and say it. If they didn't notice, that was their own stupid fault. His dad didn't respond for a long while. After a few moments of awkward silence that Alex really didn't want to break, his dad finally reached out and pulled him in.

His dad gave out hugs sometimes, but he didn't ever hold someone. Well, sometimes he did, but only if they were really upset. Alex leaned in and rested his head on his dad'sshoulder trying not to cry. He couldn't help it though, he was so tired and things were so different and he just wanted to go home. He started to cry and his dad just moved back so they were all on his bed, instead of just on the edge. And Alex cried into his dad's shoulder as he sat there with his long arms around him.

After a few minutes, Alex started to calm down a little bit, began to sniffle.

"Alex," his dad said quietly. Which was weird. Cause his dad NEVER called him 'Alex'.

"Uh huh?"

"What else do you hate?" He asked. Alex remembered his birthday.

"Birthdays." He said, starting to cry again. His head was starting to hurt a lot, but he didn't care. He couldn't help it. He didn't want to cry - boys don't cry. His dad never cried. But he was so tired...

"Why do you hate birthdays?" His dad asked.

"Cause they're stupid." Alex sniffled. "They're stupid and I hate them! It doesn't matter."

"If it matters to you, it matters." his dad said, holding him a little tighter. Alex sat up straight and looked at his dad's face. He didn't look like a zombie as much anymore, even though he still did. He wiped his cheeks off and just sat on his dad's lap, looking up at him. It almost felt like his dad was waiting for him to say something. He didn't want to give in, but he couldn't help it - he couldn't hide from his dad.

"I didn't get a special breakfast." He muttered.

"What?"

"I didn't get a special breakfast." He muttered again, trying not to look up at his dad.

"You didn't get a special breakfast?" He asked. Alex nodded slightly, trying not to sound too dumb. There was silence for a moment before his dad blew out a deep breath.

"Aw, Alex..." he started. "I'm sorry."

"S'ok. Doesn't matter." He shrugged, wiping his cheeks and sniffling.

"Hey, I said that if it mattered to you that it mattered." Alex just shrugged again. "It is a big deal." His dad assured him. "Happy Birthday, Alex." Alex looked up at him and sniffled again. He looked like he did when he really meant something.

"Thanks," Alex mumbled.

"I wasn't home this morning, but I'll make you a special breakfast tomorrow, ok? And I'll put up the decorations myself - you'll be the first one to have a birthday in our new house, how about that?" Alex thought about it - he'd never been the first of anything. It sort of made up for the fact that his birthday was really today.

Slowly but surely he nodded.

"Ok." He said.

"I'm really proud of you, you know. You got ready for bed all by yourself." His dad said matter-of-factly. Alex almost smiled,

"Thanks," he said.

"You know, Emma could never do that. Or Damon, either." His dad whispered. Alex looked up hopefully.

"Really?" His dad just nodded. Alex felt a large sense of accomplishment - Damon and Emma couldn't even do what he'd done. Except he hadn't finished. "Well," he confessed, "I couldn't finish reading. I hate those stupid books." He pointed to the floor, which was now littered with three books.

His dad picked them up and looked them over.

"Do you want me to help you? I think you can do it." Alex looked up at him, unsure, but decided it was worth a shot.

Fourty-five minutes later they finished up and Alex yawned. He'd let his dad read the last book the whole way through cause he was really tired. He leaned on his dad's shoulder and looked up at him.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we have waffles tomorrow?"

"Sure, anything you want."

"I want waffles."

"Alright then, waffles it is."

"Hey Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." He said as he laid back down under his covers and closed his eyes.

He couldn't see his dad smile, because his eyes were closed. And he couldn't hear his dad whisper "I love you," because he was already asleep...


	15. Whatever It Takes

tiptoes in ...hi guys. ILOVEYOUIREALLYREALLYDO! I'm SO sorry this took so long, but things have been nuts. Yeah yeah, you've heard it all. THANKYOU to those of you who continued to poke me, it really did kick my butt into gear, lol

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**Chapter Fourteen, Whatever it Takes**

_"This time, I'll be sailing...  
No more bailing boats for me,  
I'll be out here on the sea,  
Just my confidence and me." -'Little Victories', Matt Nathanson_

Before he got up to face the day, Draco just listened. He hadn't heard complete silence in almost two weeks. It was entirely calming, completely serene. He was home. Wherever 'home' was, he was there.

He quickly got up and took a short shower, making his way down to the kitchen only to find they had no ingredients for anything that could even remotely resemble waffles. And he had no idea where the store was.

"Whatcha lookin for?" A tired voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw Ginny, which immediately brought a smile to his face. e'd never seen anything so beautiful...well, he'd seen her before, but she'd never looked so beautiful then she did right then, with her tired eyes and messy hair.

"Something for waffles." He responded. "Where's the store? We don't have any eggs or flour or anything - what have you been eating?"

"Honestly?" She asked with a smirk. "Cold cereal." Draco was appalled - he left for a week, one week, and they were already reduced to cold cereal?

"Don't sneer like that, somebody might think you have something against cereal." She giggled as she moved closer to him.

"It's fine if you want to live like a peasant," he muttered under his breath. She laughed at him heartily, but he didn't find it too funny. They didn't have to live like that anymore.

"Anyway, there's no need to make your own celebratory breakfast, the kids like cereal." She added with a yawn. Draco could've hit himself - he'd forgotten to tell her, he'd been so tired.

"Alex requested waffles for his birthday breafast," he said slowly. Ginny's eyes widened as he'd expected them to,

"Oh Merlin...that isn't today is it? That's _today_?" She said, gaping at him. He took a deep breath,

"Actually..._yesterday_ was July 15." He saw Ginny's hand grip the countertop as if she were about to fall over, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You know, having your husband in jail on charges of murder, then being released does count as a damn good reason," he added quickly. She just shook her head. He knew that if she were able to speak she'd be going on in a high-pitched rant right about now, but she couldn't, so for the moment his ears were safe.

"Look," he continued, "It's fine, we talked, everything's...going to be fine." She still couldn't say anything. She was obviously trying to say something, but he wasn't about to let her start, so he put up his hands. "You know what? I'll find the store on my own, it's fine. Just go get dressed, maybe some decorations. I'll see you soon." He grabbed his jacket and walked out before she had the chance to start...anything.

Draco walked outside and decided to go right. He was glad no one was around here, the peace of the morning was nice. He'd expected at least one reporter to stalk him, but for once in his life he was completely alone. He walked around the corner, where he'd seen a little store the day they'd gotten there and he waltzed right in.

He picked up the things he needed, paid, and walked out as inconspicuously as he could. Apparently he hadn't been fast enough.

"Draco Malfoy! How does it feel?" He saw Rita Skeeter look around as she approached him with her hideously green quill in hand. Draco merely ignored her and lengthened his stride - he didn't have time for this. Especiall not today.

"So what's it like? Has anyone said anything to you yet? Have you heard from your father? Where is your father, Draco? Has he tried to contact you over the years?" She rambeled on, but Draco was making a mental list of things that needed to get done in the next few days - including actually move into their house. Boxes were still everywhere, it was just as he'd left it. He was surprised Ginny hadn't taken care of any of it, he'd almost expected her to.

He finally reached their property, but she followed him onto it. He whipped around and faced her.

"I do believe you're trespassing." He hissed viciously. She was stunned at his tone, but took the few steps backward. He waltzed into his house to find an incredibly distraught Ginny and a stunned Mia sitting at the kitchen table.

"What's going on? Why aren't you two helping?" He snapped. They just stared at him. He wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. He just wanted to lay it all out on the table.

"Alright look, it happened, alright? We forgot his birthday - all of us. And now we have to deal with it. Red - you're on decorations, use your wand, for Merlin's sake! You can do that now! Mia, you take care of waking up your lazy arse of a son and getting him to help you get the kids ready for breakfast. Is that clear enough?" He ranted. Ginny put her head in her hands and Mia just continued to gape at him.

After another moment of Draco staring at them menacingly, Mia got up and left and Ginny pulled out her wand. After a few moments decorations were up and waffles were being made. Damon and Emma trudged into the kitchen wearily, looking confusedly at the decorations.

"Today's Alex's birthday?" Emma asked. Damon pushed her arm.

"Emma!" he chided.

"What? I forgot. So did you."

"Knock it off," Draco warned. He was in no mood to deal with them this morning. They looked at him, startled, but sat down at the table.

Alex was greeted with smiles, cheers and birthday wishes - not to mention hundreds of apologies. His face was redder than Draco had ever seen it. He really was a Weasley. Draco smirked and shook his head, turning his attention to the window, where he expected to see a post owl, but he found nothing.

"I wonder where the Daily Prophet is," he thought aloud.

"That paper is a load of rubbish." Ginny declared indignantly. Draco couldn't believe it - it was like she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"You mean you didn't order it?" He asked in disbelief.

"No, I didn't." She stated.

"Red, that's ridiculous. It may be rubbish but I do need to know what they're saying about me." He said angrily. They glared at each other for a moment before Draco turned back to the waffle iron and they continued to work in silence.

After a tense breakfast (noticed by everyone but Izzy and Julia) Draco decided to take the kids out to Hogsmeade.

When they got there, Draco noticed how uncomfortable Ginny was. When they entered the Three Broomsticks he pulled her aside.

"What's wrong?" He asked flatly.

"I just don't think it's right to put these kids through this kind of publicity. Everyone's staring!" She exclaimed.

"That's how it goes in this world, Red, you know that." He urged.

"Yes, but they've never had to deal with that before! They don't understand."

"They're perfectly fine," he said, shaking his head. "They'll deal with it. And the press is nothing to worry about. Just so long as we keep an eye on them." Ginny pursed her lips in thought, obviously still unsure Draco was making the right decision. "This is what we left when we left," he said with a smirk, "don't you remember?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. She sighed then, and went back to their table.

The afternoon went by uneventfully - after the incident that morning, no reporter dared approach Draco with his family. But that's not to say they didn't want to - he saw them everywhere. They were trying to blend in to the others around them, but he knew who they were.

After dinner Alex got a few presents from Mia and Mike, because his parents had bought him a few nice things in Hogsmeade. They had a cake Draco had bought, as opposed to making one themselves like they usually did.

As the evening was winding down Draco heard a knock on the door. As he made his way out to the foyer he was, of course, passed by two or three kids.

"It's time to get ready for bed," he repeated to the littler ones for what felt like the millionth time.

"Can I open it?" Izzy asked.

"I said **bed**." He repeated. She just stood there until he gently ushered her towards the stairs where she met Mia who had to practically drag her the rest of the way. Mia took Julia up with them and Alex stood at the door patiently.

"Can I?" He asked. Draco sighed and smiled,

"Sure." So Alex opened the door and what Draco saw made him draw his wand.

"Oh hi! My dad's home this time." Alex said to Lucius Malfoy with an innocence Draco had never expected. Wand drawn, Draco stepped forward and ushered the small boy behind him.

"_This_ time?" He asked his son quietly.

"Yeah, he was here last night, too. But you weren't home." Alex explained. Draco wanted to continue the talk with his son - beginning with a tirade about not talking to strangers - but he knew his father wouldn't wait for long.

"We will talk about this later," he said in a stern voice. "Go get ready for bed."

"But Dad --"

"No. I said **go**." Draco said with force. Alex looked stunned, but proceeded up the steps to his room.

Draco looked back up at his father and proceeded outside to join him on the front porch.

"Aren't you going to invite me inside?" Lucius asked with a hint of amusement. Draco put his wand away and looked at him seriously.

"No." He said flatly. Lucius smirked and inclined his head. "What are you doing here?" Draco pressed warningly.

"I thought I would come see my son," Lucius said, almost mockingly.

"See your son? Your _son_? I think you let me off that hook when you turned in my name." Draco scoffed with a bitter smile.

"Draco, you know how things were. We all thought you were dead." He said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, now that just makes it all better." Draco said sarcastically.

"_Don't you take that tone with me_." Lucius hissed. Just then the door behind Draco opened.

"Draco, Alex said someone --" Ginny froze as soon as she saw Lucius Malfoy. Draco couldn't blame her, he had been...unkind to her in the past.

"Red, go back inside." He commanded.

"But...what?" She was speechless and looking horrified.

"I'll take care of this, go back inside."

"Draco, we need to talk," she said in a panicky voice.

"Not right now." He said shortly. "I will be in in a moment, now _go back inside_." He finished forcefully. She stood there in terror. Finally Mia came up behind her curiously and saw the older man.

"Hello," she said with a polite smile. "And you are?"

"Mia," Draco said exasperatedly, "would you just take her inside? **Right now**." He was getting very frustrated. Mia looked stunned at the commanding tone of his voice, but ushered Ginny inside anyway. Draco turned back to his father.

"I think you should leave now." He said angrily.

"Married a _Weasley_," Lucius said in disgust.

"Leave," Draco repeated.

"I thought I raised you better than that." He sneered. Draco advanced on him just enough to seem intimidating.

"My _mother_ raised me to protect that which I cared about, and I will do just that. Now _get off my property_." Draco said in a dangerously low voice. Lucius seemed almost surprised by Draco's response - although he didn't show it, Draco knew him well enough to be able to tell.

After a tense moment that consisted mostly of glaring, Lucius turned on his heel and walked down the steps again. As he walked away, Draco added one last comment.

"Oh, and Stefanie found me her obituary. Don't think I don't know what happened." He said viciously. Lucius looked up at Draco with an indifferent look that made Draco's blood boil. And then he smirked,

"I never thought she would come to your defense," Lucius admitted, amused.

"I always was her favorite cousin." Draco stated matter-of-factly with a smirk of his own. Lucius inclined his head, and then he left. Draco watched him walk down the street and out of sight.

It wasn't until then that he turned around to see the window to the living room cracked open. It angered him, but he knew it was just Mia's curiosity getting the best of her. He took another deep breath before venturing back inside.

He found Ginny sitting on the couch in the living room, shocked to silence and white as a sheet, while Mia was sitting at an armchair that just happened to be positioned right by the window.

"Before you say anything," Draco said shortly, but it was in vain.

"What was he doing here?" Ginny said angrily, standing up.

"Calm down," he said seriously, looking at her.

"Calm down?" She cried, "_Calm down_? How can you _say_ that?" She advanced, panicking and waving her arms.

"Red," he said warningly, not willing to deal with too much commotion at the moment. He knew that he had things under control, but at the moment he didn't feel like explaining himself. Seeing his father had been enough for one night, and he just wanted to get past it and move on.

"Alright, back to your corners," Mia said, coming between them. "I can't stay here and yell at you guys forever. So siddown, and somebody start talkin." Ginny glared at Draco for a moment longer before sitting back down on the couch in a huff.

"You too," Mia gestured to the chair.

"I'd rather stand." Draco said shortly. Mia looked at him in confusion.

"What is _up_ with you?" She asked with a roll of her eyes. "Ever since you got home you've been short, and rude and just plain mean and I don't get it." She said angrily, sitting down in the armchair.

"He's acting like he's seventeen again!" Ginny yelled. Draco was surprised at her sudden outburst. "Just like a stupid, arrogant, ignorant Malfoy." She said with a sneer he'd never seen.

"I am trying to keep this family together." He hissed at her.

"Alright!" Mia cried. "Chill! Both of you! Jeez, alright." Mia cried, standing up again. "Let's try something else. Who was that guy out there?" Draco sighed exasperatedly and made to leave the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ginny snapped. "It was your father, you tell her about him." Mia's eyes widened as she put all the pieces of the very obvious puzzle together. "He better not be coming back!" Ginny called out after him as Draco just left the room and went up to his bed.

He was exhausted and he wasn't about to deal with any overdramatics. Mia would calm Ginny down and everything would be fine in the morning.

He knew that he had a long way to go to rebuild his reputation, but he also knew he had to do it. He would go to Gringott's in the morning and take out some money in order to find himself a job - buy a store or something. He didn't know. He'd figure it out, though, he always did.

He knew he'd see his father again, that he'd have to face him, but he didn't care. He'd deal with that time when it came - and it wouldn't come soon. He needed to gain back his old air of arrogance, and it almost came to him naturally. Whatever it took.


End file.
